High School: The New Hunger Games
by DuckShadow12517
Summary: Prim has her whole high school career set up. She's in all advanced classes, she going to become a doctor. But, what happens when she meets, and begins to fall in love with Cato, the school bad boy?
1. Chapter 1

**So, I've never written a Hunger Games story yet, this is the first. Wow. R&R! Oh, and I don't own any Hunger Games Character. I wish I owned Cato though. Hee hee. **

_Briiingggg_

The sound of my alarm going off brought me out of my peaceful slumber. I snaked out a long hand and pressed the snooze. Five more minutes.

"Prim what are you doing?" My older sister Katniss grumbled, poking her head through my door. "It's your first day of school; do you really want to be late?"

I shot my head up. Darn it, I had forgotten. I sprang out of my bed; Katniss rolled her eyes and retreated to her room. She was lucky, she was a senior this year, she wouldn't have to go to school for another two hours. Because it was my first day of High School though, she agreed to drive me.

I carefully finished folding my blankets back and tucked them under the pillow. I straightened it up and I turned towards my closet. What should I wear? Hmm. I settled for a pair of dark skinny jeans, brown boots, and a purple tee shirt with a feather on the front. I slipped on my favorite necklace, a gift from my sister. A curious looking bird with an arrow in its mouth. I brushed my teeth and carefully combed my hair. I tucked a stray piece back and smiled at myself.

I was fourteen, fifteen in a few months though. This was my first day at High School. I already knew all the other freshmen though, thank goodness, and I was pretty eager. I was in all AP classes, thanks to my high grades.

I examined myself closer. I was 5 1" 5 2" with heels. I had slightly longer than shoulder length, golden blonde hair. It had a slight curl to it. My eyes were a bright blue, like the sea, as my mother would say. I smiled. I was blessed with straight teeth, they weren't odd or crooked. My skin was very pale, mostly from staying indoors and studying. If I continued on my current path, I might even get to skip senior year. I smiled at the thought.

"PRIM!" Katniss called again from downstairs. I smoothed down my shirt and headed down the flight of stairs.

"Did mom already leave?" I asked as I entered the kitchen. Katniss was busily making waffles.

She rolled her eyes, "Of course she did." She grumbled.

"Oh."

My mother worked as a nurse at the Panem Hospital. She was going to school to be a doctor at the moment, as would I be. I wanted to follow in her footsteps and become a doctor too. Katniss, meanwhile, was the complete opposite. She was very athletic. She wanted to be a soccer player or something like that. She was good.

"Thanks for taking me to school." I said as I munched on my waffles. She barely looked up from the sports magazine she was reading.

"Whatever." She muttered.

"So." I began, but she interrupted.

"I just wanted to warn you," she began, eyes concerned, "Try and avoid upperclassmen. They're bad news." She chuckled, "I know I'm one, but just stay away from them. I don't want anyone to hurt you."

I smiled; glad she was looking out for me. "Thanks Katniss."

"Anytime."

~0o0~

"Let's go." Katniss was shouting over the roar of her engine. She drove a jeep, reliable, tough, and super loud. I nodded and climbed in, enjoying way the car moved. We drove in silence, listening to the radio murmuring in the background.

We stopped a few blocks from the school, someone was rushing towards us. Katniss rolled down the window and called out.

"Gale!" she said cheerfully.

He best friend stopped at the window. "Hey Katnip." He said, using the nicknames they've had since like fourth grade. He nodded at me, "Hey Rosie."

I smiled wide at him, trying to ignore the flutter in my stomach. "Hey Gale." I tried to say coolly. He smiled.

"Have fun at school kids." He called out, stepping away from the car.

"You going today?" Katniss pouted.

Gale smirked. "We'll see."

"See ya at school."

"Ok, see you."

Gale stepped away and continued walking. I glanced at Katniss suspiciously. "Is he really going to skip school?" I asked innocently.

She snorted, "The day he skips school is the day you'll fail a test."

~0o0~

"Here we are." Katniss said cheerfully. She leaned over and gave me a quick hug. "Have fun kiddo, I'll be there in a couple hours."

"Thanks." I chuckled nervously, eyeing the large brick building. I stepped out and my sister roared away.

I shouldered my bag and walked forward, trying to not make eye contact with anyone. I skirted around a group of seniors, talking loudly about their summer.

"Yeah, remember when…"

"Ha ha, yeah!"

"And then when we."

"Good times."

I ducked my head and walked my, feeling my face heat up as some turned to look at me. I turned my head slightly and continued to walk. I didn't see the boy in front of me. I accidentally crashed into him, sending his few supplies tumbling to the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" I cried, hastily grabbing one of the fallen notebooks and holding it out. The boy made no move to grab them.

I looked up nervously. My eyes widened slightly when I saw who it was. I didn't know him, but he was quite handsome. He had shorter blond hair that was spiked slightly. He too had blue eyes, but they were as cold as ice. They glared down at me. His arms were crossed, showing very tan, very muscular arms. He wore a tight fitting black tee shirt and dark designer jeans, no surprise, without a belt.

He glared down at me, making me shrink back. "I'm sorry." I muttered, holding out his notebooks. He eyed them. I watched as he brought his hand out, and snatched them up.

"Watch where you're going next time, freshman." He snapped.

I was totally shocked. What a jerk! He brushed by me, heading towards the group of upperclassmen who had been talking about their summer. They laughed when he came closer. I could see a smirk cross his face as he talked to them.

~0o0~

"Alright, so here we have freshmen mentors, they will be helping you with any problems you've got." The very, very cheerful office lady was saying, "They are wearing bright yellow shirts, so just be on the lookout."

"Thank you ma'am." I said politely.

I took my schedule and walked over to my locker. After failingly entering my number several times, I could feel frustration and tears bubbling. It was my first day, I was supposed to enjoy this. I sighed and unsuccessfully entered my number again.

"Need help?" an amused voice rumbled. I looked up in surprise to see the boy I had run into. He had a smirk on his face as he stared me down.

I hesitated, he had been quite rude already. "Yes please." I said timidly.

He chuckled, seeming to find that funny. "No." he said, and began to walk away.

My mouth dropped open in total shock. How rude. I felt all the frustration from lack of success in opening my locker build up. "You're a jerk." I snapped at his retreating form.

He paused, for a moment, and then continued walking. I felt slightly better and I began to try and spin my lock again.

"Need help?" another kinder voice asked. I looked up to see a girl wearing a bright yellow shirt smiling at me.

"Yes please." I asked.

"Oh, by the way, I'm Madge." The girl added as she looked at my combination.

"Primrose."

"Pleased to meet you." She grew serious. "That boy you just insulted, I'd be careful."

"Why?" I couldn't help but ask.

"He's only a junior but he's been suspended four times. He gets into fights all the time. I'm just warning you, be careful."

"Thanks for the warning." I said politely, I already knew to avoid him.

"Glad to help." She finished, the lock clicked as she spun it. I eagerly opened my locker.

Not two seconds later my best friend bounded up to me.

"Hey Prim, how's it going?" she said excitedly.

"Great Rue, how about you?" I asked, glad to see a familiar face.

"Awesome, isn't it great to be in the high school?"

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome." I admitted.

"What do you have first period?" Rue demanded, waving her schedule around.

I checked it out. "Math."

"Me too!"

I grinned, "We can be mathletes together!"

Rue chuckled, "Nerd."

I pretended to look hurt. "Ouch."

Rue lightly punched my shoulder. "Come on, let's go."

Relieved to be with someone I knew, I followed her to our first class.

The class was already half full of eager students or bored delinquents. I was in the super advanced class, so there were some upper classmen there too. I smiled, maybe Gale would be in here.

I observed for a moment. The teacher was a medium sized man with a funky beard. It was cut in swirls, almost like a flame. There was a name written on the chalkboard in an elegant flourish.

_Seneca Crane._

A few moments later, he stood. He was extremely tan, he also had a very stern face as he glared out at us. He continued to glance up at the clock. Finally, the bell belched out a ring.

_Briiingg._

"Alright class." He said cheerfully, clapping his hand together. He was interrupted by a squeak on the loudspeaker. I winced. The speaker crackled again and then turned on.

"Good morning students. This is your principal. Mr. Snow. I would first like to begin by welcoming our new freshman, I hope the rest of you students will make them feel very welcome." He paused to clear his throat. "At the end of today, we will be having a small informative meeting about proper conduct. Ok? Teachers, please be sure to check for appropriate dress code and I hope everyone had a great year."

The speakers shut off and several students hooted. I rolled my eyes and Rue giggled.

"Alright class, as I was saying. My name is Seneca Crane. You WILL call me Mr. Crane though. And this year I-" he was interrupted as the door opened and another student waltzed in.

"Sorry I'm late Seneca, I was busy." A smooth voice said, walking right by the teacher. I gasped. It was the rude boy!

"Thank you sir for your entrance." Our math teacher grumbled. He closed the door. "Please take a seat. I'll create a seating arrangement tomorrow. And Mr. Fisher? I would LOVE it if you called me Mr. Crane. I'll let this time slide, but next time, it's a detention."

"Got it." 'Mr. Fisher.' Said with a sarcastic smile. He turned and our eyes met. His smile faded and he stalked by me. I watched him take the back row, leaning back and putting his feet up.

**Well, what'd ya think? R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2

** Woot, thirteen reviews! I wanted to write a HG story but there are so many about them in the arena and centered around that I wanted to do something different. So, R&R! In this chappie, you get to see some more of Prim's friends and the rest of her classes. **

Prim's POV-

Mr. Crane continued on about classroom rules and policies. "And I only excuse one late homework a quarter, please do not take advantage of that." He enunciated, glaring at several of the students. I sat straighter and looked over at Rue. She was busily texting someone, using her purse as a cover-up.

Mr. Crane's eyes skimmed over the row of students suspiciously. I nudged Rue warningly. She looked up and quickly slid her phone back in its pocket.

"And absolutely, NO cell phones. If I find one, you will not be getting it back." He warned.

I nodded rigorously, trying desperately to pay attention to the rules.

"Alright then, you may use the last five minutes of class to talk to your partners. Don't worry, I'll assign seats tomorrow."

I looked over at Rue. She smirked, "He'll never catch me texting." She assured me.

"Yeah right, he's got eyes like a hawk."

"More like a crane." She pointed out. I laughed.

Mr. Crane glared at us, "Please keep your voices down." He growled.

Rue giggled and ducked her head. I shook mine, "You're going to get me in trouble on our first day of school." I scolded her.

Briinng. The loud ring of the bell interrupted anything else I was going to say. I picked up my stack of books and balanced them carefully. I trotted out the room.

"What class do you have?" Rue called after me.

"Advanced Physical Science." I called back.

"Nerd." She teased, "I'll see you at lunch."

"Alright."

I made my way, fighting through the stream of students all jostling to be first to their next classes. I was shoved twice and used as a battering ram once. I finally managed to fight my way to a new hallway, the science wing. I struggled into the door and scanned the room. My eyes made eye contact with another one of my best friends. Annie Cresta. She caught my gaze and waved. I smiled and made my way over to her.

Annie was a sophomore, but she was only a few months older than me. She was sitting next to her boyfriend, Finnick Odair, the sophomore heartthrob. He was busy combing his hair.

Annie was small for her age, even me, as small as I was, was only a few inches shorter than her. She had pencil straight blond hair and deep blue eyes. She had a splash of freckles on her nose and she was naturally tan. She was very pretty.

Finnick suited her perfectly. He was tall, almost as tall as some of the seniors. He was very tan; he worked on his father's fishing boat in the summer time. He had gorgeous sea green eyes that always sparkled. He had dark brown hair that paused just above his neck. He was funny and quirky and his personality just made you want to laugh. Annie was shy, but when she was around him, she was so happy.

"Hey Rosie." Finnick greeted, his grin bringing a smile to my face.

"Hey Finnick." I returned. I smiled at Annie. "Hey Annie, how was your summer." I really already knew because she spent most of her summer at my house. She usually did that because Finnick was away most of it and she didn't have the best home life.

"It was great, nice to see you again." She greeted.

"Yeah, I miss seeing everyone every day." I put in.

"Welcome to science class." Any other conversation was cut off as our teacher walked in the room. It was a middle age man with a crop of fiery red hair. "I will be your teacher, Darius Keeper." He said. His face was covered in bright red freckles but his smile was warm.

"Today, I'm going to go over the rules and then we are going to try a little activity to test your knowledge."

The first thirty minutes of class was slow as he read over all the material, expectations and guidelines.

After that class I had French class, I was all alone. Then History, with Mrs. Coin, and then lunch.

I walked hesitantly into the lunchroom, looking around nervously. I almost let out a sigh of relief when I saw Rue and Annie sitting at a table. Finnick was also making his way over there.

There were also my other two friends, Posy and Rory. They were twins; they had the same light blonde hair, same brown eyes. Rory was a few inches taller than Posy, but they both had a slightly round look to them. They weren't fat; they were just a little plump.

"Hey guys." I greeted as I sat down. I pulled out my lunch bag and chose a PB&J sandwich.

"Hey Prim, how's school so far?" Rory asked, eating plate of fries at the same time.

"It's fun, how about you?"

"Same."

"So guys, how's it feel to be freshmen?" Finnick asked teasingly. He slung an arm around Annie and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Great, I love it better than being a junior higher. The halls are so crowded though." Posy said.

"Yeah, you get used to it." Annie assured.

I looked around the lunch room. I think Katniss had the next lunch period, not this one. My eyes hesitated at one table. The boy that I accidentally ran into this morning. His table was very full. Some of the kids I knew. There were Cashmere, the senior girl, a snob, Clove, the junior, Cashmere's boyfriend, Enobaria, also a senior, a redhead girl that reminded me of a fox or something, Gloss, anther junior girl, Jackson, a star football player, who was also a senior. Also there was a boy named Marvel, a very questionable guy, a junior, and the captain of the rugby team, Vick. Plus the boy, I didn't even know his name. He had his arm slung around a gorgeous girl. She was small and thin, but not sickly, and she reminded me of Barbie. She laughed at something he said and kissed his cheek. I felt sick.

"Hello? Earth to Prim?" I shifted my gaze back to my table to see Posy looking at me.

I smiled, "Sorry, just seeing how big our lunch room is."

Posy nodded, "I was asking you what class you had next."

I laughed, "Oh, I have Gym, than language art, and then Art, my favorite."

Posy smiled, "I have Gym too!" she said excitedly.

"Me too." Rue put in. I chuckled.

"We're going to rock!"

I couldn't help but to look back at the table with the boy at in. Much to my surprise, he was already looking at me.

** Ooo, so you get to meet Prim's friends and in the next chappie you're going to meet some of Cato's and maybe the fourth chapter Prim's going to learn his name. Maybe the fifth, we'll see. R&R! It encourages me to update sooner. Hee hee. **


	3. Chapter 3

**OK, keep up the reviews! Oh, and in this chapter, it will be gym and then art class! And then Prim hangs out with her friends and Cato's friends are better developed! R&R!**

I tossed my lunch bag in the trash and headed towards my next class. Gym. I shuddered, gym was my least favorite subject, and I was terrible at it. Katniss was an all star, but not me.

"Come on Primer, we're going to have so much fun!" Rue was saying impatiently, tugging on my arm.

PI giggled at the nickname. "Primer?"

Rue scoffed, "Pfft, like you got anything better." She grinned when she saw the gym, ":Here it is."

Rue was awesome at gym. She was small, fast, and agile. She could dart around people and snatch anything from their hands. I on the other hand would trip someone accidentally and then get crushed by them because I wasn't fast enough to run away.

I walked into the room and observed my next victims. I guaranteed that whoever I would be facing, I would trip them at least once.

I started a bit when my eyes found…the girl. The one at the lunch table! She was talking and flipping her hair causally with the fox-like girl.

There was one more girl from that table, Clove. I didn't know much about Clove, I only really knew the senior class, thanks to Katniss. She caught my gaze and stared back boldly. I felt my face heat up and I looked away hastily.

"Ladies, I'm going to assign places, I need you to line up in your assigned spot." I watched as a very cheerful, almost creepily cheerful, woman stepped out. She looked way over dressed for a gym class. She wore a very shiny violet colored suit jacket with a matching skirt and her hair was dyed a suspiciously similar color. Her lips were the exact match to her outfit.

"Hello class." She said with a wide smile, "My name is Miss. Trinket, but as the year goes on, I you would give me your very own nickname! I have received some pretty rocking names in the past." A few girls chuckled.

"How about the Violet Poof?" Rue whispered to me. I bit back a giggle.

"Clover Josef, you go here." Effie said, not noticing. She pointed to a spot.

"Alright then, Clove it is." Miss. Trinket smiled again, so far it looked like it hurt. "Next is Daireann Auburn." The fox-faced girl smirked and glided over to her place.

The girls were placed in line and I only vaguely paid attention. "Primrose Everdeen."

I wasn't even paying attention and I jerked my head up. "Hmm?"

"Right here missy." I moved to my spot, hearing giggles as some people laughed at my lack of attention.

"Glimmershine Soled." The gorgeous blonde flipped her hair and sneered.

"I prefer Glimmer." She sneered, flipping her hair again and stalking to her spot. Right next to me. "Hello Freshman." She said, wrinkling her perfect nose at me.

I nodded, but inside I was sighing. This was going to a long year.

~0o0~

I walked into the art room and plopped my books down. The rest of my classes had been semi interesting and I was excited about some of the teachers. I smiled as I saw another one of Katniss' friends, Peeta, perched on a stool next to the teacher's desk.

He grinned and stood, walking over to me. "Hey Prim, I didn't know you were in art."

"Well, I wasn't exactly expecting to see you."

He chuckled, "Yeah, I already had all my art credits, the art teacher, Mr. Styles, let me be a teacher's aide for volunteer hours. I guess I can assist you."

I scowled jokingly. "I don't need help, maybe I can give YOU some pointers."

He chuckled. "Yeah, maybe."

I looked up as the art teacher walked in.

"Hello class, this year, we're going to learn about the skill of art. This is going to be a wonderful year, I can just tell."

The art teacher walked in. He was early, only a few students were in the class. I liked him immediately.

He was a young guy, only about twenty two or something. He skin was a rich caramel color and his eyes were a warm brown. He had a hint of a beard, he must've shaved a few days ago.

"My name is Mr. Styles, but I would prefer you call me Cinna." I smiled as he made eye contact with me.

More students were coming in. "Hello Cinna." A few older students greeted as they stepped into the room.

That's when the boy walked in. I almost let out a squeak of surprise. I couldn't shake him loose. He made eye contact with me and smirked. He stalked by, pausing at my table.

"Hello, Mellark." He sneered.

Peeta narrowed his eyes at him. "Fisher."

The boy, the junior, smirked again. "Still sticking with art I see. It's the only thing you're good at."

Peeta glared harder, "Just go take your seat Mr. Fisher." He said.

The Fisher boy glared and stalked over to his seat.

"Why don't you like him?" I asked curiously. I wanted to know why this boy caused him so much bitterness.

"We were on the wrestling team together. He was the rudest freshman ever. I challenged him to a fight and he beat me. We've been enemies since then."

I felt bad, "How'd he beat you?"

Peeta's eye narrowed, "He cheated."

I patted his hand, "Don't worry, you're a great wrestler."

Peeta smiled tightly, "Thanks."

"Ok class, first assignment of the year. I have a variety of subjects in this hat." Cinna held up a black top hat, full of small slips of paper. "You're assignment will be to research your topic. You must write a one page report over your topic, how it affects us, and then you must draw it. It will be due at the end of the second semester."

I smiled, excited. Who knows what exciting topics were in that hat. I was hoping for something like a cat, or a horse, or maybe school.

He began at the other end of the room, saying what each student got.

"Courage, very nice."

"Ah, fear, a great topic, I'm interested in what you come up with."

"Mr. Fisher, patience, some people really need that." A few chuckled echoed.

I felt worried, these were strange topics indeed, I was expecting more, um, easier topics. Cinna stopped at me.

"Well." He checked the list, "Ah, Prim, a very special flower indeed." He bowed slightly, "Choose wisely."

With anticipation, I reached my hand in. I felt the smooth slips of paper brush my hand as it curled tighter around them. I shifted through them and picked up one. I slowly pulled it out and gazed at it. It was just simple lined paper. I slowly unrolled it and paused, staring at the subject.

"Ah, my most favorite subject of all." Cinna said with a wink. "Love."

**OOo, intense. So, R&R! And if I get 11 reviews in two days, I'll update on the third. Hee hee, ransom!**


	4. Chapter 4

**So many reviews! Hmm, I should ransom more often. Ok, new contest. I don't like the title of my story, it's so boring. So, if you guys have a better idea, send it in. If I like your idea and I decided to use it, I'll write a one shot based on a subject of the winner's choice! So, get those thinking caps on and send in your ideas. You can send in more than one, send in as many as you want!**

I skipped excitedly out the door. The first day of high school was finished. I waited patiently outside with Rue as we waited for my mother to come. We were going to have a car pool system this year. My mother would take us home and Rue's mom would bring us to school.

Rue and I were practically sister. I called Rue's mother Mom and Rue called my mom Mother. That always brought a smile to my face.

"Hey guys." I turned to see Annie making her way towards us, Finnick at her heels.

"Hey Annie, hey Finnick." Prim called out.

"Aw, you'll be older next year to drive yourselves home, no more waiting on parents." Finnick teased, dangling his keys in front of the girls.

Rue scowled teasingly. "Yeah, we'll have to race when I get my driver's license."

"You're on."

Annie hit Finnick's arm lightly, "You're older, and you're supposed to be a good example."

I giggled as Rue scoffed. "Yeah right, he's about as responsible as my little sister."

A horn honked from behind the group. "There's my mom." I tugged Rue's arm.

"See you later freshman." Finnick teased as he took Annie's hand and led her towards his car. They probably would go for a coffee and then he would drive her home.

"Stinky Softmore."

"Shh Rue, people will think we're immature." I warned.

Rue scowled, "We are."

~0o0~ the next day-

Rue and I walked into math class side by side.

"Did you watch the latest episode of America's Got Talent?" Rue was asking me.

"Of course."

"Wasn't that one act with the dancing nerds hilarious?"

I smiled as I remembered it, "Yeah, It was pretty good."

"You were cracking up, admit it."

"Hello Class." The bell rang and any further communication was cut off as Mr. Crane waltzed into the room. "Please remain quiet as the morning announcements come on."

Rue rolled her eyes and started discreetly texting under the table. I could hear the speakers splutter and crackle on.

"Good morning students. I would like to review a few rules of the school. If we are to have a…ahem…enjoyable school year, these rules must be followed. Remember, no texting in class." Rue giggled. "No eating anywhere but the cafeteria. And finally, no PDA in the hallways." Several couples chuckled.

I just sighed. I had already read the rule book twice and I knew all the rules. I didn't really see a point in going over them.

"Ok students, have a great day and may the odds be ever in your favor." The speakers spit and spluttered out.

Mr. Crane was listening attentively. "Yes, remember to follow the rules student." He took out a sheet of paper. "I'm going to seat you in alphabetical order."

Each space was arranged by desk. The desks could hold two people per desk. A stool was what the seats were.

"Hilary Alice." He said, pointing to the first stool. A tall, gangly girl struggled to balance an enormous stack of books and her huge purse between her knobby limbs.

"Benjamin Azurite."

"Blah Blah…" he continued on. "Primrose Everdeen." I picked up my books and made my way to my seat in the back row. I was the first one in the desk.

He looked down at his chart and chose my partner. "Cato Fisher."

I was intruded. Who was Cato? Then, the tall, muscular boy detached himself from the group and made his way over and sat next to me.

I felt a flash of nervousness. Oh. I curled my hands and scooted as far away from him as I could without being too obvious.

Cato's eyes flickered to me. "Did you say your last name was Everdeen?" he asked, leaning back slightly.

"Y-yes." I stuttered.

"Is your sister Katniss?"

"Y-yes."

"She's hot."

"Oh, uh." I didn't know what to say really. I felt a flash of disappointment. Everyone always liked Katniss better; this boy seemed to be no different.

He smirked. "I hope you're smart."

I shrugged, feeling my face burning.

"Good."

Mr. Crane finished seating everyone, Rue was on the complete opposite side of the room as me. She frowned and made a sad face. I chuckled.

"Ok, today we're going to get to know your partners better." I could feel nervousness flutter in my chest as he said that.

"So, I want you to find out ten things about them you didn't know. It's due at the end of the period."

I could feel Cato turn to glance at me. I faced him, feeling worried.

"Do you have any paper Tulip?" he asked, smirking slightly.

"Primrose." I politely corrected.

He smirked, "Rose." He frowned, "Ok, this is going to be the only homework I'll be turning in this semester so you better not mess me up."

I nodded slowly.

"Got any paper?" I quickly tore out two pages and handed one to him. I pulled out a pencil and wrote out one to ten.

"Ok, um, so ah, how old are you?" I whispered.

He turned slightly away. "Sixteen. You?"

"Fourteen. Fifteen in two months."

"Got any pets?" he smirked.

"A cat and a goat. Buttercup and Lady. How about you?"

He ignored this. "Any friends?" he asked this in an insulting way.

I bristled. "Yes. Do you?"

"What' your grade point average?"

"4.5…I-"

"What's your favorite food?"

"Chocolate chip cookies, can I ask you-"

"How old is your mother?"

"What? I don-"

"What about father?"

I felt a tightening in my chest as I heard the word. I looked away.

He smirked. "Father is gone." He scribbled onto his paper. I felt a flash of fury.

"This isn't helping. What's your favorite food?" I snapped.

"Has a temper when flustered." He wrote.

"That's not part of-"

"Doesn't do sports."

"I didn't say that."

"I'm done." He said, closing his books. He had ten things all filled out. I read a couple. "She is very shy. You don't know that."

He turned to face me. "Turn this in when you turn in your paper, 'K?"

I felt my face burn with anger and embarrassment.

~0o0~

Cato made his way out of the door at the end of the day. He smiled as his girlfriend, Glimmer, approached him.

"Hey babe." She said, reaching on tip toes and kissing him. She scowled, "You smell funny."

"Yeah, art class."

"Try and put on more deodorant next time."

Cato scowled. He looked up as Marvel and Jackson approached him. "Give me a moment, k."

Glimmer glared at them and turned to look back at him. "Just hurry." She said crossly.

As she walked away, Marvel spoke. "Hey dude, what's up?"

"Nothing really." Cato said, glancing at them through half closed lids.

Jackson chuckled. "Man, the freshmen this year are hot!"

Marvel nodded, "Too bad you got a girlfriend."

Jackson smirked, "That might change."

Cato rubbed his temple. "Quiet you two, your voices give me a headache."

"Aw, is the brave Cato sick?"

"Shut it."

Marvel shrugged. "Hey, you're good with the ladies right?"

"You know it." Cato smirked.

"Well, I need a girlfriend. Soon. Know any possible bachelorettes, you do owe me for hooking you up with Glimmer?"

Cato hated it when he mentioned that. "Yeah, maybe." His eyes lit up. "You know Katniss Everdeen?"

"The hot senior?"

"Yeah, her."

"What about her?" Marvel's eyes gleamed.

"I'm sitting next to her sister in math. She's a real shy freshman, not too shabby either, you two could hook up."

"Eh, maybe you could befriend the freshman and get closer to the sister. Then you can mention me and BOOM, we're dating."

Cato chuckled, "We'll see."

**So, what'd ya thing, a little Cato and Prim encounter. R&R!**


	5. Chapter 5

** Alright, sorry for taking forever. I try and wait until I've got at least ten reviews and then I can build up the inspiration to type again. The name contest is still up, be sure to submit lots of entries! R&R! Ps, I don't own the song, Taylor Swift does of course. **

I waved goodbye to Rue as her mom pulled out of my driveway. She honked loudly and Rue buried her head in her hands. I chuckled and strolled into my house. Katniss wasn't home yet, most likely at soccer practice.

I looked around slyly and made my way towards our study. I opened the door and settled down in the big leather chair by the door. I flicked on the old lamp and leaned against the table. I looked around once more and I slid out a sheet of papers from the underside of the desk. No one really came in here, it was my father's favorite room. I was the only one who dared to come in. It helped me remember him.

I rolled a pencil out from one of the drawers and I settled down comfortably. I closed my eyes, picturing a topic. My father. I began to write, letting the words flow.

_Just close your eyes_

_ The sun is going down_

_ You'll be all right_

_ No one can hurt you now_

_ Come morning light_

_ You and I'll be safe and sound_

I smiled as I wrote down the last words. I glanced at the clock, I widened my eyes slightly; I had been in here for a half an hour.

My mom always wanted me to be a doctor. Since I was young I knew I was destined to become one.

But, a few years ago, I wrote a poem for an assignment. The teacher asked my permission and she entered it into a writing contest. I came in second. I never told my mother or sister. I knew I was going to be a doctor, I couldn't change that.

I heard the door jingle, I felt panic flutter in my chest, Katniss or mother was home. I hastily shoved the papers back into their hiding spot under the desk and I slipped the pencil into my pocket. I bolted from the room and I carefully closed it and padded into the hallway just as my sister came in.

She frowned, "Hey Prim, you seem eager to see me."

I nodded, "Yep, I was just excited."

She ruffled my hair playfully, "How was school?"

I gave her an award winning smile. "Great. How was soccer?"

"Fine."

"I'm going outside."

"Is your homework done?"

"Almost." I said.

Katniss shook her head. "You know how mom feels. Do your homework, K'?"

I smiled sweetly, "Alright." I had finished most of it in my study hall but I still had some science to do. It also wouldn't hurt to check over my papers.

I sat down and scanned the science paper, just some stuff on chemical formulas and atoms. Piece of cake.

"What is the chemical formula of Sodium Chloride. NaCl." I muttered. "Easy." I finished in twenty minutes and I reskimmed the rest of the homework. The answers were adding up. I smiled and pushed away from my desk. I stacked my papers carefully and organized them my class.

I looked at my clock, I had two hours until my ten o'clock bedtime. I could start on my art project. I shrugged, I had nothing better to do. I decided to check my computer first for information. I approached my laptop and I hesitated, fingers hovering over the keys. I sighed and just typed in 'love' in the search engine. It hesitated for a moment, loading and a whole bunch of results popped up.

"Wikipedia." The first result. I frowned, I knew to avoid that. The next was a test. "Calculate the chance of a successful relationship between two people." I read. That wouldn't help me. The next seemed slightly more promising. ", the definition of love." I clicked on that one.

"A profound, tender, passionate affection for another person. It can be a noun or a verb. To have love, to love." I muttered, jotting down some notes. I tried to think how I could draw something like that. I sighed, I had zero ideas.

This wasn't helping. Then I had an idea. I looked around secretly and typed in 'love poems' I clicked search and leaned back. I clicked on the first result. (A/N I don't own this poem either.)

_**What I Love About You**___

_I love the way you look at me,  
>Your eyes so bright and blue.<br>I love the way you kiss me,  
>Your lips so soft and smooth.<em>

_I love the way you make me so happy,  
>And the ways you show you care.<br>I love the way you say, "I Love You,"  
>And the way you're always there.<em>

_I love the way you touch me,  
>Always sending chills down my spine.<br>I love that you are with me,  
>And glad that you are mine.<em>

_- Crystal Jansen – _

I sighed as I read the poem. "This isn't right." I muttered.

I decided to give up and try something different. I might just try and draw. I picked up my sketchbook and spent ten minutes staring at the blank paper. I sighed and absentmindedly sketched a heart. The edges were lopsided and it was poorly shaded. I gave up and set the pad down.

With nothing left to do, I pulled out my phone and shot Rue a text.

_So bored._

_ Same._

_ Can't wait for school._

_ ): _

_ It's not that bad._

_ Yeah, right._

_ Hang on, my mom's coming up._

_ "_Primrose?" my mom never called me Prim unless it was to scold me.

"Yes?" I groaned, rolling over to face her.

"I think we need to talk about something."

"Yes." I felt a slight flash of panic, I had nothing to hide, and maybe she found my poems. I braced myself.

"I think, since you are in high school now, I think you should start thinking about a job."

I dropped my jaw. "A job? I have to focus on school though."

"I know, I just think it might be a good idea, you can spend some time in the real world. Maybe just on the weekends so it won't affect your schoolwork." She gave me a timid smile. I sighed in resignment.

"Fine."

"Great, oh, and I was checking out the requirements to get into a top school, you need at least twenty volunteer hours too. You also need to have had at least one job."

"Ok." I said, she had just been trying to help me in school, I felt relived. "I'll start looking."

"Great, love you honey."

"Night mom."

**Just some of Prim's home life. Next chapter will hold more of CATO! Woo. R&R!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, I might just put my other stories on hold and focus solely on this. If you think this story may be slow, people don't just instantly fall in love remember, they need time. Also, I realize I always write my stories too fast and I need to first develop the characters before rushing into the conflict. So, R&R!**

I gave a slight wave as my mother pulled away. Rue tugged my backpack playfully. "Come on grumpy gills, the freshmen are taking over!"

I couldn't help but give a small head shake to hide my smile. "Rue, come on." I began to trudge into the building.

"So, tell me what your mother told you." Rue nagged, wanting every detail.

I sighed, "You know you don't have a life when you think my life is interesting." I shook my head again, "My mom merely told me I needed to get a job. She also said volunteering wouldn't hurt either."

Rue did a slight skip. "That's it. I know a great place we can volunteer at."

I decided to humor her. "Where?"

"Red Robin's nest."

I felt a flash of horror, "In the scary part of town?"

"You need volunteer hours Prim. It won't be too bad, I'll even come with you."

I brightened up, "You would?"

"Come on, I could use the hours too. I may not become a doctor but it will look good on my resume." Rue scoffed and held open the door for me. I slipped by.

"Thanks. Yeah, I mean if you do it than I guess I'll give it a try." I called over my shoulder as I headed towards my locker. I could see the stream of people heading towards their respected homerooms.

Cato's POV-

I shoved passed a scrawny freshman as I made my way toward my locker.

"So Cato." Marvel panted as he jogged beside me. "Those things about helping me find a girlfriend."

"What about it." I growled, maneuvering carelessly passed groups of eager students. I paused by my locker, eyeing a guy casually leaning against it to talk to his girlfriend.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Yeah baby, I totally understand." He was saying. He paused as my shadow fell over them.

"That's my locker." I said calmly. The lower classman hesitated, then his ego took over.

"This is my girlfriend." He said, puffing out his chest. I didn't even take my gaze off him. My fist struck him square in his conceited face, sending him stumbling back a few paces. His girl let out a little shriek. I sneered at the pair.

"Watch your mouth freshman." I snarled. Man, these freshmen really got on my nerve.

He stood up and scrambled away, his girlfriend hurrying after him. I smirked, "Bye." I then turned to face Marvel. "You were saying?"

Marvel shook his head, "Oh, I was just saying you don't need to find me a girlfriend. I have my eye on this girl."

I rolled my eye. "Whatever." I decided to drop it, I could pursue it later.

Marvel half turned and grinned, "See you later Cato." He quickly hurried off.

I turned to see Glimmer making her way towards me, a scowl on her face. "Hey." I said, leaning in to give her a kiss. She turned away.

"I just heard from Adrian, who heard from Clark, who heard from Tosh, who heard from his girlfriend, that you won't be going to the party tonight." She scowled.

I waved my hand. "Rumors baby, rumors."

"Is it true?" she demanded, "Scott's been planning this all week."

"Don't worry, I'll be there."

"We'll be there, I'm not driving myself." She snapped.

I gave her a kiss, "Of course. I'll pick you up after basketball practice."

Prim's POV

Friday. It felt sort of relieving. I had survived my first week of school. I scuttled into my classroom and sank into my seat as the bell rang. Mr. Crane glanced at me and then checked me down on his seating chart.

The speakers crackled on. "Congratulations students. You have already gone through one week of school at Panem High. I would like to remind you to always follow the school rules if we are to have an enjoyable year. Thank you and may the odds be ever in your favor."

Mr. Crane nodded along obediently. "Yes, everyone remember to follow the rules." Several students snickered.

Cato strolled into class, five minutes late as usual. He bowed and made his way to our seat. Mr. Crane had already given up trying to correct his behavior.

"Did you do the homework?" he asked as soon as he slid into his seat.

I didn't even turn to look at him. "Yes." I pulled out my two pages of carefully labeled work, all of it clearly explained in my work. It was immediately snatched away.

Cato scribbled down the answers, not even bothering with the work. He tossed my paper by me and slapped his name on his paper. I sighed and passed my paper forward. "You know, you get more out of the lesson if you actually do the work yourself." I muttered.

"Nah."

I sighed and listened to the lesson.

Gym class-

I cringed as I entered the gym class. I had not improved, not one bit. I changed and moved to my spot in line.

"Today we will be partnering up. I have already made the sheet; this is to help improve relationships between upperclassmen and lowerclassmen. First team, Primrose and Clove." Effie began.

I turned to look over at a smallish girl; she still was taller than me, with dark, raven colored hair and a splash of freckles. She gave me a tight smile.

I approached her. "Hey." I said timidly.

"Hi, you're a freshman right?" she said, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Yeah, what grade are you in?" I questioned.

"Junior."

"That's cool."

\ "Yeah." We trailed off into awkward silence. This was going to be difficult.

"Alright class. We've finished assigning partners. We're going to start bad mitten this quarter." Effie continued, "Let's get started."

I held my racket uncomfortably. I was bad at anything that involved coordination. Clove swung hers gracefully.

"Do you play?" I asked her.

"I played tennis for three years." She said with a shrug, "You?"

"Nada."

"It's alright freshman." She said, giving a reassuring smile. It was small, but it was a start.

I felt slightly better; maybe this won't be as bad. I swung my racket, almost whacking myself in the face with it.

End of the day-

I looked up from my project as the bell rang. I looked at the picture. I had only started it yesterday so it was only partially painted. It was a ballerina; she was poised gracefully with a flower clutched in her teeth.

I hastily put everything away. I gasped as my water spilled all over my painting. The water darkened and mixed the paint. I felt like crying, it was ruined

"Oh my." Cinna walked over beside me, he looked at my ruined project. "I'll tell you what." He said, "How about you stay after school and fix it?"

I looked up at him, "You'd let me do that?" Cinna winked.

"Yeah, I've got a meeting to go to today anyways. That gives you about an hour and a half."

"Thanks." I said. "I'm going to get my backpack ready and tell my friend she doesn't have to give me a ride home."

I hurriedly threw my homework into my backpack and approached Rue. "Hey, I've got a project to work on. You don't have to give me a ride home today."

"Sure, whatever. Just text me later, we've got that project in history to discuss." Rue chatted amiably.

"Yeah, maybe you can come over tomorrow night. I'll ask my mom." I shot back.

"Later loser." Rue turned and walked out, tossing her hair over her shoulders with a flourish.

I chuckled and made my way back to the art room. I plopped down and busied myself in my work.

By the time Cinna finished his teacher's meeting, it was almost 5:30. I stretched and smiled at my progress. I had done even better than the original.

"Thank you for letting me fix this." I said.

"Anytime Prim, I hope you have a great weekend." Cinna replied, gathering his coat and supplies. I stood and exited the art room. The hallways were virtually empty, almost everyone was gone. I could hear the basketball players finishing up in the gym. I searched my backpack for my phone.

After a few minutes my search grew frantic. I finally had to admit it. I had forgotten my phone at home.

"Darn it." I muttered, looking around for someone I knew, maybe I could borrow their phone. Nada.

I searched once more, feeling hopeless. I suddenly saw someone I knew. Cato. I approached him, "Hey, do you have a phone?" I asked, hoping the desperation didn't show in my voice.

"What? Oh ah, yeah." He fished around in his bag and pulled out an old black phone with a crack in the screen. "Just hurry."

I quickly punched in my mom's number and listened to the ringing. After four rings my mom picked up. "Yes?"

"Hey mom, it's me Prim, I need a ride home."

"Honey, I'm at work, I don't get out until 7:30, and you know that."

"I know but I need a ride."

"I'm sorry, call Rue and see if her mom can get you."

"Fine."

"Great, sorry honey, bye."

"Bye."

I swallowed and nodded. I couldn't call Katniss because she was at a different high school, honing her soccer skills. I looked at Cato, leaning casually against the wall. I hastily punched in Rue's number.

After two rings she picked up. "Hello?"

"Rue?"

"Prim?"

"Yeah, I was wondering if you could give me a ride home."

"I would love to, but I can't drive and um… my mom is at work until 10 tonight. My dad is on a business trip."

I swallowed a lump in my throat, "Oh, ok, I was just wondering."

"Yeah so sorry Prim."

"It's all right. Bye."

"See you later girlie."

I hung up, feeling desolation building up, I was stuck here. I decided just to walk. I had no other options. I lived about 7 or 8 miles from the school. I gave Cato back his phone.

"Thanks." I muttered, beginning to walk out the door.

Cato's POV-

I felt conflicted. From the conversation I knew the girl didn't have a ride. I glanced at the clock. I still had an hour before I was picking up Glimmer. I sighed.

"Hey." The girl turned to face me.

"Yes." She said, keeping her head down.

"Need a ride?" I tried to keep the annoyance out of my voice.

She hesitated, weighing her options. I could see fear flash in her eyes.

"I'm ok." She said, turning away. I gritted my teeth.

"No you're not. I can get you a ride, I have time." I took a step closer.

She sighed, looking terrified. "Ok." She said, taking a huge breath. I smirked, twirling my keys.

"Let's go." I made my way to a beat up black truck. It may have been old, but it was mine. It had rust around the edges and a few dents, but it ran just fine. Prim made her way to the passenger side and slipped in, looking like she was going to bolt at any moment.

I slid in, turning to look at her, "I'm not going to kidnap you, and it's ok. You can calm down."

She straightened slightly, "I knew that." Her voice shook. I smirked and the engine purred to life. I had spent tons of my own money to get this car running smoothly.

I could hear her stomach letting out a rumble. My own felt totally empty. I glanced at her. "You hungry?" I growled.

"Huh?" she squeaked.

I tried again, "I said are you hungry? I know I am. Want something? I'm going to stop at McDonalds," I said, keeping my eye on the road.

"I'm ok." She squeaked. Her stomach growled again, giving her away. She blushed.

"How about a cheeseburger?" I baited. I could see the golden arches rising from a sign in the distance.

"I'll pay you back later." She insisted.

"With interest." I added.

"Sure." She turned away, still looking uncomfortable. I sighed and pulled in, ordering two cheeseburgers. I passed her one and pulled out.

"Where do you live?" I asked between bites.

"I…um," she said, another blush spreading. "555 District Lane." She blurted nervously.

I smirked, "Good, now I know where you live."

"Um…uh…uh." She stuttered.

"I'm joking, jeez, lighten up." I muttered.

I pulled into her driveway about ten minutes later; we had barely talked in that time. I frowned when I saw the empty drive. "Are you home alone?" I asked.

"Yes." Prim admitted, hand on the doorknob.

I sighed, if that was my sister, I would never let her be home alone.

"A few times when I was younger."

I made up my mind, right then. I didn't even want to go to the party anyway. I pulled out my phone. "Hold up." I commanded. Prim sat back, looking terrified.

After two rings Glimmer picked up. "What do you want?" she commanded.

"I can't make the party." I said hesitantly.

"Whatever." Glimmer hissed, "I knew you were going to bail." She grumbled.

I exhaled, "You're ok with this?"

"Yeah, I was going to call you, I already found another ride." She scowled.

"Oh." I was momentarily thrown. "Well, I hope you have a great time. I'll see you later."

"Bye babe," she purred. I hung up, something seemed off, and that was almost too easy.

I turned to the worried little girl. "Well Prim, let's go."

**Dun, dun, dun! Yay, finally!**


	7. Chapter 7

** Woo! All these reviews make me feel inspired! R&R! I've got big plans for this chapter. But first Prim and Cato need to be friends; I want to develop that first. Ps, winner of the contest will be announced at the end of this chapter! **

Prim's POV-

I sat pressed against the seat, too nervous to speak. Cato was focused intently on driving. The mood was awkward. I took a deep breath.

"Are you in any sports?"

"Huh?" Cato turned slightly, eyes knitted together.

I tried again. "Are you in sports?" I squeaked.

"Yeah." He mumbled, looking away.

"Oh." I said, trying to sound interested, "Which ones?"

"Right now I'm in football." He smirked, leaning back. "Quarter back."

I knew nothing about football. "That's cool." I said, turning to look out the window. Cato glanced over.

"How about you girl? You play?"

"Me?" I squeaked in surprise, "No. I'm not good enough." Cato snorted.

"I guessed that." I was offended.

"How's your grades?" I snapped.

Cato chuckled, "touché."

I ducked my head, "How's your art project going?"

"Didn't start it."

"Oh, what topic did you have again?"

"Patience." He growled. I couldn't help it, I giggled. He glanced at me. "What's your topic?"

"Love."

"Well, that could be fun." I shook my head.

"I don't even know where to start."

"Try the Greeks, they have some good ideas." He suggested.

I managed a weak smile, "Yeah, I'll give it a shot."

Cato grew serious. He looked at me. "Hey Prim."

"Yeah?"

"Never mind." He muttered, looking away. I felt a spark of curiosity. "We're here." He said gruffly. I turned to look at the park.

Cornucopia Park was a large park surrounded by towering woods and criss-crossed with walking trails. It was the perfect place in the summer.

I got out and looked around, enjoying the cool air. Several picnickers were scattered around and a man was walking his dog.

Cato came around the side, holding a football in his hand. It was nerf, thank goodness.

He looked at me, "If anyone asks, you're my alibi." He growled.

I frowned, "For what?"

"Glimmer wants me to go to this party tonight. I didn't want to, so when you needed a ride I realized I could get out of the party tonight. I owe you one."

I felt slightly annoyed to have been 'used' but I really didn't care. I nodded absentmindedly. "Ok."

Cato held up his football. "I need to work on my field goals. Can you hold the ball for me while I kick it?"

I widened my eyes, "Will I get hurt?" I gasped.

Cato rolled his, "No." he tossed the football to me. I scrambled and caught it sloppily. "Just hold it upright like that, yes. Now tilt it slightly, more, more. Good. Alright, just stay there." He backed up several paces. I felt a flash of fear and tensed my body.

Cato came flying towards me, eyes partially closed in concentration. He drew back his foot and sent it rocketing towards my hand. Well technically it was the football but it may as well have been my hand. I shrieked and dove backwards, dropping the football. The ball dropped to the ground and Cato hit it on the top. The ball skittered a few feet forward and rolled to the left.

He cursed. "What was that?" he hissed, rubbing his foot. "You aren't supposed to let go." He shook his head scornfully, "Honestly."

I dropped my head, feeling like crying. "I'm sorry." I whispered, "I really thought you were going to kick me."

Cato softened his glare, "I have better control than that, little girl." I bristled.

"Prim." I corrected automatically. He blinked.

"Whatever."

I sighed and sat down, "I just have trouble trusting you."

Cato moved and sat across from me. He began to rip up the grass. "Well, what can I do to gain your trust?" he ripped more grass.

"What?" I said, staring at him busily tearing out another clump.

"I need your trust for this exercise to work. How can I gain it?" he repeated.

"Well, you first can call me Prim." I began. The corners of his mouth turned up. I smiled. "You can learn a bit more patience." I thought a moment. "Oh, you can learn to not be so snobby."

Cato shook his head, "Snobby? I didn't know I was snobby." He frowned thoughtfully.

I crossed my arms, "Then I'll hold the football."

Cato nodded, "Alright Prim, we've got a deal."

"Deal."

Ok, so after dropping the ball twice more, I managed to hold onto it long enough for Cato to boot it almost 80 yards. I felt kind of proud, knowing I had been able to face my fear and not let go.

Cato's POV-

Though I hated to admit it, I kind of enjoyed the girl's presence. She seemed to try so hard. She was almost cute the way her eyes would narrow in concentration and she'd tense up, expecting me to kick her. I smirked at her when she managed to hold on.

"Nice work." I said, and she beamed.

"That was cool." She admitted.

"Yeah, see I'm very trustworthy."

"You just need to learn patience."

"I only need to research it, not actually apply it."

"Patience doesn't just have to be researched, you can observe it too."

"Love can be observed."

We both fell silent into a slight awkwardness. I stretched; maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I looked at my watch. It was 7:45. "Wow, we've been here awhile." I commented.

Prim's eyes flew open. "I need to get home." She gasped, scrambling to her feet, "My family's going to be worried sick." I got up and followed her, taking my time.

The drive home was quiet but held more of a comfortable silence. I pulled into her driveway.

"Thanks for the ride, Cato." Prim called, sliding out the door. I hesitated.

"You're welcome Prim." I hesitated again. "Wait." She turned. "Don't tell anyone about this ok?" I said casually, "I don't want Glimmer to find out."

It was like I just killed a unicorn. Prim seemed to deflate. "Uh yeah, sure." She muttered. She turned and began to trudge towards her house. I felt a flash of guilt, but I quickly pushed it away, I had a reputation to protect. I looked at the clock again, 8:00, I needed to get home.

I pulled into my drive at 8: 16 exactly. The lights were on in the living room and a small car was parked in the driveway. I could see flashes that indicated the T.V was on.

My house was small; it was a single story, three bedroom house. It was run down and painted a faded gray; it fit with the other houses in the neighborhood.

I opened the door quietly, not wanting to alert anyone. I padded into the living room, smiling. SpongeBob was on, playing on a low volume. There were two figures on the couch.

The first one turned. Her innocent blue eyes widened in joy and she let out a squeal of happiness and hurtled herself forward.

"Cato!" she shrieked, pulling me into a huge hug. I chuckled.

"Hey Mia." I murmured, wrapping my arms around my sister. She pulled away, looking excited.

"I thought you'd be away tonight." She whispered.

"Me too." The second person, my aunt, stood in the center of the room, arms crossed. Her scowl deepened as she took a step closer towards us. "You're early." She growled.

I set Mia down. "I was busy." I said coolly. You could feel the tension in the room.

"You could've called."

"I wanted to surprise Mia."

We stared at each other a few more heartbeats. My Aunt Carol broke the stare down first. She glared at me. "I'm leaving." She began to stalk by, "This place is filthy." She sniffed. With a slam of the door, she was gone.

Mia was 6. She was just starting kindergarten and she was a genius. She had the sweetest personality, she didn't know what hate was. I wanted it to stay that way. I bent down to her eye level.

"Hey honey, did you miss me." A bright smile and a vigorous head shake. I pulled her into another hug, "How was kindergarten?" I asked, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

She pulled me closer, "It was fun. We colored bunnies today. Can I have a bunny Cato?"

I smiled, "Someday honey." I would do anything for her, just to see her smile.

**Just a little background on Cato. Man, he knows how to ruin something doesn't he? R&R!**

**And the winner is…**

**Teen Wolf Chick's- High School: The New Hunger Games! Congratulations and just send in a review of what you want you're one-shot to be about. It can be anything at all! Except guyxguy or girlxgirl! I'll try and write it A.S.A.P! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Well, the reviews on the last chapter were…light? Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE you guys; your reviews always make my day! R&R!**

Cato's POV-

I watched T.V with Mia until almost 11:00. I glanced at my phone and saw three missed calls. I put it away and scooped up Mia. She squeaked in surprise.

"Hey." She protested, giggling at the same time. I smirked.

"Bedtime honey, it's almost 11:30."

"Just a little longer?" she whined.

"No. Go brush your teeth." I said sternly. I couldn't keep the smile off my face. "How about I read you a story?"

"Alright." Mia shot off towards the bathroom. "I get to pick the book." She called over her shoulder.

I made my way to her room and sighed when I saw the state it was in. I picked up scattered toys and put them in their bins. I carefully smoothed her rumbled sheets and straightened her rug. I turned as the six year old padded in.

"You're room was messy." I teased.

"I was busy playing. The princess needed to be rescued." She retorted. She made her way showily to her bookcase.

"This one." She picked the first cover her fingers brushed against. It was _There's a light on in the attic, _by Shel Silverstein.

"Ok Mi." I gave in, "Just a few poems." I flipped to a random page. "Here's on, The Homework Machine." 

"Yes please." I chuckled and cleared my throat.

_"The Homework Machine, oh the Homework Machine_

_ Most perfect contraption that's ever been seen._

_ Just put in your homework and drop in a dime,_

_ Snap on the switch and in 10 seconds' time,_

_ Your homework comes out, quick and as clean as can be._

_ Here is is-"Nine plus four?" and the answer is "three."_

_ Three?_

_ Oh me…_

_ I guess it's not as perfect_

_ As I thought it would be."_

Mia giggled and snuggled deeper under the covers. "That was silly Cato." She yawned and settled down. "nother one peas."

I brushed her hair from her eyes. "Not tonight. It's late." I tucked her in a straightened up. I flicked on her night light and closed the door a crack. I padded out into the hallway and collapsed on the couch. I flipped the T.V to sports and settled down.

I checked my phone again, three missed calls. All from Glimmer. I sighed again and hit send. The phone rang twice and a picked up.

"Hey Glimmer." I began.

"Cato." The voice on the other end snapped. I exhaled. "I've called you three times." Glimmer's voice raised a pitch.

"I'm sorry, I was busy."

"Doing what?" she snapped, her voice slurring at the end. I groaned inwardly.

"I was watching Mia." I snapped back. "You were busy getting drunk at some party."

"Watch it Cato." She warned me. "I'll dump you." She hiccupped. "I just wanted to check up on you."

I sighed, "Glim, I'm going to go now, it's late."

"Next time call me back. I don't like waiting." She hung up. I grimaced and leaned back, she would be in a terrible mood on Monday. I rolled over and fell into a fitful slumber.

I was woken up at 3:00 am this morning by a loud bang. I groaned and sat up. Heavy footsteps resounded through the hallway. As it got closer I could hear heavy breathing and thumping. I peered over the top of the couch.

My father.

He would've been handsome if he actually cared about his looks. His chin was covered in stubble and coated with who knows what. His hair hung in ragged strands past his eyes, which were a dark blood shot red. He was breathing in gasps and I could smell the alcohol from here.

"Wa?" he mumbled, peering around the doorway, a partially finished bottle clutched in his hand. "Casho?"

"Yes." I stood up, crossing my arms and glaring at him. "I thought you'd be out."

He cracked up at some secret joke. "I wah bussy."

I sighed, making my way towards my room. "I'm going to bed." I looked him up and down. "You should to."

He stumbled towards me, eyes narrowed. "Dahn't speak to ma like thah." He grumbled. He made a swipe towards my. I ducked out of the way. I made my way towards my room, hearing my father curse and take a deep swig of his drink. He probably would be gone by morning.

I rolled over my bed, navigating my way past stacks of clothes. I flopped on my bed and fell into a deep sleep.

~o00o~

Prim's POV-

I made my way down the stairs Saturday morning. I rubbed my eyes and stared as my mom smiled at me.

"Morning honey!" she said cheerfully, "Rue's mom called about a job opening at that one day care you were interested in."

"Really?" I perked up slightly.

"Yeah, I called them and they said they would love to interview you two around 2:00 today."

"Oh thank you so much. Can you drive us?" I threw my arms around my mother.

"Absolutely." She said, "Rue's coming here at 1:00." She turned and continued cooking. "And we need to talk about volunteering too."

"What about at the animal shelter?" I squealed, an idea forming in my mind.

My mother frowned, "I don't know honey, and I could see you wanting to adopt every animal in there."

I bounced up and down. "No ma'am I promise I wouldn't even ask you to adopt an animal. Buttercup is alright."

She frowned, but tapped her fingers thoughtfully. "I guess so. Do you promise? No animals?"

I smiled, "I promise."

1:00-

Rue bounced into our house and looked around. She was wearing a light blue top and a pressed denim skirt. Her brown hair was curled and one strand was braided.

I wore a purple dress that went to knee length. It had a sweetheart neckline and it was silky up the waist where it flared out. "You look gorgeous." I told Rue.

She giggled, "You too. You look professional."

"I could say the same for you."

Rue held out her hand, "To the car, Dr. Prim."

"Miss. Rue."

We settled in the car and my mom began the thirty minute drive to the interview. We talked about school and the exciting prospect of getting a job. After ages, we pulled into a single story run down brick building. A sign hung at a crooked angle and the driveway was cracked and overrun with weeds. It looked like they defiantly could use some help.

I hopped out from the car. "You girls make sure to show that you're responsible. I'm going shopping, I'll pick you up in one hour." My mom called after us. I waved.

We opened the door and were greeted by a rush of fresh air. I looked around. The lobby was painted a faded orange and the carpet was a dark brown. There were several mismatched chairs pushed in a corner and the reception desk was a folding table. The secretary, a lady in her early 50s, looked up at us.

"Are you here for your interviews?" she asked, leaning forward.

I straightened, "Yes ma'am, the 2:00 right?"

"Right. Go through the door on your right, the manager will see you in a moment." We both walked through a cracked door that squealed loudly. I could hear shrieks of kids in the distance.

We both settled down in two folding chairs in some sort of office. It was surprisingly tastefully decorated with a light wood desk in the back. We had barely sat down when the door opened. I stood to face the manager. I let out a gasp of recognition.

"Cinna!"

R&R! ;)


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, it's been a while, I know. R&R! I get depressed when I log on and see no new reviews. (Jk, it just makes me sad). **

Prim's POV-

I beamed as a watched Cinna make his way into the room. He smiled gently. "Hey girls."

Rue frowned slightly, "Are you the art teacher Prim always talks about?" she tilted her head slightly.

Cinna chuckled, "Yes, I'm Prim's art teacher." He extended a hand, "I'm Cinna."

Rue shook it, "I'm Rue. I wanted to take art this year, but I decided to sign up for wood tech, it's a horrible class. I'm going to take art next year; everyone tells me what an awesome teacher you are."

"I'm honored."

I felt more relaxed, knowing who was going to interview us. I shook his hand also; it felt warm and rough from painting so much.

"Let's begin." Cinna gestured to the mismatched chairs in the center, "Please, have a seat."

I lowered myself into one of the wooden chairs; it gave a faint squeak and settled. Rue plopped down beside me.

"So, Prim." Cinna shuffled some papers, "We'll start with you." He paused, "Do you have any previous experiences working with children?"

I sighed, "Yes, Rue has three younger sisters and a baby brother; we always watch them for her mother."

"Is that true Rue?" Rue nodded. Cinna scribbled something down. "Ok, Prim, do you know any first aid?"

I felt a burst of confidence, "Yes, I took courses last summer with Rue."

"Ok, I have a copy of your certificates right here." He held up two papers. "Rue, why do you think you'd be good at this job?"

Rue folded her arms, "I love working with children. I help my mom raise my four younger siblings since their birth and I believe that has greatly prepared me. I know how to stay calm in a situation and I also know how to keep a child occupied for long periods of time."

Cinna smiled, "Excellent answer." He wrote a few notes down again. "Alright prim, say one of the kids falls off a slide in there. He starts crying, what do you do?"

I frowned, "I would first check to make sure he isn't bleeding. And then I'd distract him from the pain and take him over to the nurse to check if he's ok."

Cinna seemed quite pleased. "Very nice, how'd you know we had a nurse?"

"I saw a sign in the waiting room," I admitted.

"Very observant." He wrote down a few more things and closed his folder. "Well girls, I'm going to review your file and you can expect a call in the next two days. I think you got it. I just want to see one last thing."

"Yes?"

"I'll show you the kids." He stood and exited the door, "Follow me ladies."

Rue and I followed him down the hall and towards the sound of shouts and screams. He calmly stopped outside a door. "You may have noticed how run down out office looks." We nodded hesitantly. "Well, most of our funds go towards improving the play land. So if you were wondering why our offices looked like that, well you know." He opened the door. I gasped.

In the center, about ten children were racing around on a large play ground. It was painted a bright purple color, covered in slides, ladders, tunnels, and spiral staircases. It was every kid's dream.

To the left was a small house, a play land for girls. I could see a bin of dolls resting on the side and it was painted a coral pink and it even had lace decorations. I could see a group of girls hanging out there.

To the left was a large sand box. There were several toy construction vehicles the children could ride on, and a large set of toy cars. There also was a huge assortment of buckets, round, castle shaped, heart.

In the back were a cluster of tables. On top of them were a bucket of crayons and paper. The back wall was a chalkboard there was a square of floor that was concrete. A big bucket of chalk lay tipped over next to several colorful drawings. I could see another toy chest, a bucket of legos and several puppets peeked out over the top.

I gaped for several moments, taking it all in. Cinna smiled. "The doll house was built by one of our workers for free, he's a construction worker. The toys were all donated and the community helped a bunch." He sighed, "Not many people come here though, due to its location."

I looked around, an idea already forming. "It's such a great place; I really hope we can work here."

Cinna chuckled, "Oh I wouldn't worry too hard about getting the job. You guys are the first offers to work here we've had in several months." He winked, "I think your ride's here." Rue and I followed him down the long hallway and out the door. "Bye girls." He called turning and entering his building.

"Bye Cinna!" I called back. I felt excited; I really wanted to work there. Rue mirrored my thoughts.

"Man that place rocks! We got to get that job!" we talked excitedly about it the whole drive home. Once my mom dropped off Rue, she continued driving.

"Prim, I called the animal shelter about a volunteer opportunity."

"Really?"

"Yes, they said they would love to have some help. I emailed them your information and they said they'd call us in the next few days." I felt overjoyed.

"That's great, thank you so much mom." We pulled into our driveway. I hopped out, my mind buzzing with the exciting new jobs. "I'm going for a walk." I called out to my mom as she began walking inside.

"Ok, don't be gone too long." I snorted and bounded down the driveway. I turned left and began walking.

After about 20 minutes of enjoying the cool breeze and sun on my back, I decided to just walk in a giant square. I narrowed my eyes and tried to picture the route in my head. If I turned right up ahead and then walked down a couple streets, it should be about another 10 minutes and I'd be home.

Satisfied, I began to walk down my new path. I hummed to myself as I walked. I passed by a clearing through the trees. I stared at it, ideas flowing. I began to sing softly.

_"Deep in the meadow, under the willow_

_A bed of grass, a soft green pillow_

_Lay down your head and close your sleepy eyes_

_And when they open, the sun will rise." _

I stopped, not sure where to go from there. I was glad I did, because as I walked, I passed by a house having some sort of party. I felt a flash of fear as shrieks and shouts from inside echoed all around. Several people were playing volley ball out back. I kept my head down and I picked up my pace slightly. I was about the breathe a sigh of relief when I heard a shout.

"Hey!"

I turned to see a small group of people heading directly toward me.

Cato's POV-

I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. Glimmer looked over at me. She was also sitting on the couch, sitting as close to me as she could without technically sitting on my lap. She twirled her drink around again.

"Stop sighing." She scowled, "People will think you don't want to be here."

I rolled my eyes, "Oh yes, that would be terrible."

Glimmer scooted away slightly, her cup sloshing around. I kept in eye on it; I didn't want to get any on my pants. I don't know why I was here. I didn't drink, I needed a scholarship and drinking would mess up my chances. So would smoking. Glimmer had practically begged me to come here, 'you act like you don't love me' she had wailed. So, I finally agreed.

I don't know why. The pounding music hurt my head and the smoke almost made it hard to breath. I stood up. "I'm going out for some fresh air, k'?"  
>Glimmer narrowed her eyes, and then hiccupped. "Don't be long."<p>

I had been dating Glimmer for three months now. We got together over the summer, at one of my other friends graduation party, we'd only been friends until then. I sighed, thinking of the happy memory.

_Everyone else was inside, setting up. Glimmer and I had been instructed to set up the bouncy house. We were struggling to start the air. We couldn't stop laughing._

_"Cato, help me." Glimmer had begged. She suddenly let out a squeak of surprise. The air shot out, sending her stumbling back, right into me. I caught her. I didn't want to let go. And then, she had pulled away, and kissed my cheek. _

_I smirked, pulling her into a hug. I brushed her hair away. "Want to see a movie tonight?"_

_Glimmer let out a laugh, "Sure, I'll buy the popcorn." _

And just like that, we were dating. It started out nice, until Glimmer began to become, less…happy. She stopped smiling, and she became very demanding. I wasn't sure how much longer I could put up with her temper. I sighed and looked around. I was on the back porch.

The screams of teens playing volley ball were deafening and someone had snuck out here to smoke. It was 4:00 and someone had decided to throw a party. From what Glimmer told me, it probably would last until about 2:00 tonight. I rubbed my forehead and decided to sit in the front.

As I was walking, I saw Boggs, Enobaria, and Marvel all crowded around someone else. I chuckled; it was probably some poor girl they were trying to hook up with. I peered closer, whoever it was, they looked very small. I caught a flash of blonde hair. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. No, it couldn't be. I decided I needed to check.

Prim's POV-

I kept my eyes down. The three boys, Enobaria, Marvel, and another guy, all leered at me.

"You lost girl?" The unknown guy sneered. He crossed his arms, "Were you trying to sneak inside my party?"

I met his eyes, "I was just taking a walk."

Marvel scowled.

Enobaria grabbed my arm, "Aw, let her come with us, she'll really enjoy herself."

The other guy suddenly caught on and grabbed my other arm. "Yeah, come on, let's go party."

I struggled, "Let me go." I said quietly, they just laughed.

Marvel chuckled, "Aw, poor Prim."

The mystery guy leaned close. "Prim? Is that your name." he stroked my cheek, "Such a pretty name for such a pretty girl." He let out a bark of laughter and tugged my arm. "Let's go."

I struggled, "Please let me go." I snapped. They didn't let go. I suddenly burst into tears, "Just leave me alone." I cried out in frustration. They only laughed harder.

"So, Boggs, how old do you think she is?" Enobaria joked.

Boggs shrugged, "Freshman." He seemed to get annoyed with my struggling. "Let's go, you'll have a fun time, there's music and dance, and volley ball outside." He growled.

Suddenly, Cato appeared. He took in the scene in a few moments. "Let her go." He said his voice deadly cold.

Marvel lightly punched his arm, "Aw Cato, we're just having some fun here."

Cato narrowed his eyes, his jaw clenched tightly. "I said let her go." He repeated his voice cold.

Enobaria chuckled and shook his head, "We found her fair and square."

Cato blinked calmly, "I'll tell you one more time. Let. Her. Go."

Boggs stuck out his chin. "No."

Cato nodded. "Alright." He suddenly lunged forward, quickly as a snake. He brought his fist up hard, striking Boggs in the jaw. The other boy stumbled back in shock, grasping his jaw. Cato whirled around to face Enobaria. He ducked low and punched the older boy twice in the ribs. He then kneed him where it hurts and when the senior was doubled over in pain, he swung his fist hard in the side of his head. He crumpled with groan of pain.

Marvel widened his eyes. "I didn't touch her, Cato, I swear." He raised his hands in surrender. Cato socked him in the gut. Marvel let out a gasp and rolled to the ground. Cato whirled around to face me.

I let out a squeak of fear. His normal blue eyes were a stormy gray and his hair was sticking up wildly. He was breathing heavily and he looked like he was going to punch me. I took a step back.

His eyes cleared. "Are you ok?" he asked, almost calmly.

I nodded. My wrists hurt slightly from being tugged, but it wouldn't be too bad. "Thank you." I whispered, sniffing slightly.

He nodded slowly. "I'll take you home."

I shook my head, "It's ok, and I only live a couple miles down the road."

Cato narrowed his eyes again. "I'm going to take you home." He gave me a tight smile.

I suddenly felt exhausted. I just wanted to go home, and curl up with a cup of hot chocolate.

"Ok." Then I remembered something, "What about them?" I nodded to the three injured boys on the ground.

Cato clenched his jaw. "They'll be fine."

I followed him mutely to his truck. I got in and tightened my seatbelt. Cato turned to look at me; he opened his mouth, and then closed it. He started the car and pulled out of the driveway.

I turned to look at him. "Thank you."

**There, after so long, I finally updated. Please R&R!**


	10. Chapter 10

** Hey guys! I got almost twenty reviews! I feel like you guys are sending me messages. More Prato= More reviews. I'll have to remember that =) **

** And also, I need to address a few reviews. **

**1.) Somebody was wondering why Cato wants a scholarship, yet he slacks at school? Well, Cato wants a scholarship for sports, not academics. He needs the scholarship because he's not great at school.**

**2.) I KNOW ENOBARIA IS A GIRL IN THE HUNGER GAMES! This is my story and I needed more guys, so I changed Enobaria. This is my story and I'm allowed to change it if I want. **

**3.) I didn't realize about the Vick, Enobaria, and Marvel thing. I originally had those three and then I changed Vick to Boggs, because I wanted to use Vick for something else, I went back and changed it. **

Prim's POV-

Cato held my gaze a moment more and nodded. His engine started with a low rumble. We didn't say a word as he pulled away and began to drive the few miles to my house. I shifted, feeling the realization of what just almost happened to me come crashing down. I sniffled.

Cato swiveled to face me. His eyes were narrowed and his jaw was tightly clenched. He swallowed. "Are you ok?" I could see the cold fury still in his eyes. I felt another wave of gratitude.

I nodded mutely. I could feel my throat constrict.

Cato nodded. "What were you doing there?" He wasn't scolding. He just sounded curious.

I opened my mouth to reply, but before I could utter a word, much to my horror, a sob came out instead. That was all it took. I buried my face in my hands, tears beginning to stream down my face.

Cato's POV-

I was watching the road, my thoughts racing. I didn't regret punching the guys. They would laugh about it Monday. I felt another wave of anger wash over me. I clenched my jaw. Those jerks… the anger was so intense I almost turned around. I heard a sniffle from Prim.

I whirled to face her. Her eyes were wide, shining with barely contained tears. Her lip was quivering and her cheeks were bright red.

I tried to take calming breaths. "Are you ok?"

She nodded slowly. I turned away, feeling another wave of anger. I tried to calm down again and focus on driving.

That's when I heard it. A sob. I turned to face her again. She had her face buried in her hands. Her shoulders shook with silent cries. She had her body at an angle, hiding herself from me.

I felt another wave of something. Compassion…and then awkwardness. She had just gone through a traumatizing experience and she was allowed to cry, but I really don't have experience with that kind of thing. Glimmer never cried in front of me.

I did the only logical thing I could think of. I pulled over to the side of the road. I faced the crying girl and I reached one arm across. I hesitated above her shoulder and then I gently lowered my hand to rest on her shoulder.

She cried harder. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

I just sat there slightly awkwardly while she finished her crying. I kept my hand on her shoulder and just sat there.

After a few moments, she hiccupped and quieted down. She seemed to freeze for a moment, slowly turning to face me again.

Her face began to burn a bright red. "I'm sorry." She repeated.

I pulled away and began driving again. "Don't be." I said, leaning back casually.

"Please don't tell anyone." She added fearfully.

I smirked, "I won't."

She grew hopeful. "Promise?"

I couldn't help but chuckle. Her innocence and naïveness reminded me of a child's. It was almost cute. "Promise."

We drove in relative silence, not really speaking. I pulled into her driveway and got out. I made my way around and opened her door. She stepped out and turned away. I placed a hand on her shoulder. She buried her head in my chest. I slowly raised my hands and wrapped her in a hug. Prim pulled away slightly.

"Would Glimmer be ok with this?" she whispered. I smirked.

"Yeah, she won't care Prim. I don't think she'd be threatened by you." Her face fell slightly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

She turned away again. "Thank for helping me out Cato."

I gave her a shrug. "No prob. If you ever need help, just give me a call."

Prim opened her mouth. I let out a chuckle. "I forgot, give me your phone." She hesitated and then took it out. I snatched it up. I quickly entered seven digits and tossed it back to her. "Just call." I winked.

She blushed, "Um…yeah…well…thanks." She turned away and walked up to her door.

I watched her enter her house (A/N not in a creepy way) and I pulled away. No sooner had I done that, my cell phone rang. It was Glimmer.

"Sup." I answered.

"So tell me Cato, when you said you were 'going out for fresh air' I didn't know you'd be ditching me."

I grimaced, "Sorry, something came up."

"Something always comes up." She snapped.

"Look Glim, I'm really sorry, I had to take someone home. How about I take you out to ice cream tomorrow?"

I could hear someone speaking to her. She mumbled something in reply. I could hear a sharp intake of breath. She came back on the phone. "You punched Marvel, Boggs, and Enobaria?" she snapped.

"Yes."

"Marvel works as a model for Abercrombie Cato, you're going to ruin his career." She said shrilly, "And Boggs and Enobaria are star rugby players. Do you want to ruin your chances at winning?"

"They were…" I began.

"And then you drove away with Primrose Everdeen? Are you cheating on me?"

I choked. "With Prim? No, the guys were harassing her. She was lost. You're staying at the house until tonight, right? I'll pick you up later."

I could feel the anger. "Cato, you will pick me up at 12 tonight. Don't be late."

I narrowed my eyes, "Glimmer, you're being a…"

"A WHAT?" she shrieked, "I know what you're thinking."

I winced at the shrill voice. "Glimmer, calm down." I was getting sick of the attitude.

Someone was talking to Glimmer. She began to giggle. "Uh huh. We'll Cato I got to go, I'll see you later."

I sighed. "Great, I'll pick you up at 12."

More giggles. "Uh huh."

"Bye."

"Ha, bye."

I hung up, feeling growing frustration at my girlfriend. I wasn't sure how much longer we would last.

Two months later-

It was 22 days until Christmas. Prim and Rue had gotten the job at the day care and Prim had got the volunteer job at the animal shelter. She and Cato have been talking and they have become closer friends. They talk more often and Cato and Glimmer have managed to maintain a rocky relationship.

Prim's POV-

I could feel the familiar excitement as my mom pulled into the long drive. The rocks made a crunch as the tires rolled over them. There was a faint cloud of dust rolling behind our vehicle.

My mom waved goodbye as I hopped out and entered the animal shelter. The familiar rush of sounds greeted me as I stepped into the room. The secretary looked up, giving me a bright smile.

"Good morning Prim." She called.  
>"Morning Ellen." I replied.<p>

I walked passed her and entered the main room. To my right, was the hall with the dogs. To the left, the cats. If I continued to walk forward, I would exit outside to the barn animals. Ben, my supervisor came over, a sack of dog food tucked under each arm.

"Hey Prim."

"What am I doing today Ben?"

Ben was 28. He had just recently graduated vet school and he decided to open up an animal shelter. He also knew how to heal animals, but our equipment could only handle minor things, like shots or casts. No surgeries, unfortunately. He was very tall around 6 feet 5. He had raven black hair that was closely shaved. His green eyes were wise and intelligent.

"How about you go and feed the cats for me. Then come over to the dog section and I have a surprise for you."

"Great." I walked to the left and heard several meows. I entered the supply closet and grabbed a bag of cat food. I made my rounds, carefully measuring out a cup of food per cage. I gave each cat a pat on the head and moved on. I didn't stay too long, I had to listen to my mother, don't get too attached. Besides, I had Buttercup.

It only took about 25 minutes to feed all the cats. I kept account, 15 cats, five males, six females and four kittens. There were 12 dogs. Seven males, three females, and two puppies. We also had two horses, a miniature donkey, a pot-belly pig, and a flock of ducklings.

I put the remaining food away and hunted down Ben. I helped him open up the dog pens to allow them to run around and I waited patiently.

He wiped his hands and pulled something from his pocket. "Since this is your second month here, I wanted to get you something special." He handed me a small wrapped box.

"Ben, you didn't have to get me anything."

"Just open it." He growled playfully.

I carefully removed the wrapping. It was a jewelry box. I opened that and nestled inside was an absolutely gorgeous bracelet. It was a sterling silver charm bracelet. There were three charms on it. The first was a clover. It was a vibrant green with silver lining. The second charm was a cat face. It was silver with a black dot for a patch over the eye. The third and final charm was a text book. It was blue with black writing.

"That's because you always study during your break." Ben teased.

I was speechless. "This is beautiful, thank you so much."

"I couldn't run this place without you." He winked and helped me clip the bracelet on my arm. It felt light and it jingled slightly as it settled down.

I opened my mouth to say more when a flurry of sounds came from the front room. Ben and I looked up. He nodded and I followed him as he rushed into the office.

I took in the scene. There was a man; around the age of 45, holding a large dog crate in his arms. He was speaking quickly and his eyes were narrowed.

Ben switched to professional mode. "What's the problem sir?"

The man whirled around. I took in his outfit. He wore a long sleeve, plaid shirt covered by dirt-stained overalls. His mud boots were coated with thick clumps of dirt and his shaved head had a very noticeable sun burn. Definitely a farmer.

"My goat." He said, speaking in an equally professional tone. "She was attacked by a coyote. She's hurt badly."

"Why didn't you bring her to a vet?" Ben growled, jaw tense.

The man looked embarrassed, "I can't afford a vet. I knew you had a degree in Veterinary practices. I thought maybe you could help her."

Ben looked at the crate. "May I see her?"

The man nodded, "I don't want surgery. If it's too bad, just put her down."

I felt a flash of anger, he was heartless.

Ben nodded, "I understand."

The man extended a hand. "I'm Richard Snidely."

Ben crouched and peered in the crate. "Can you follow me into the examining room for closer inspection?"

Richard nodded brusquely, "Fine." He followed Ben briskly, I tagged along.

They made their way into the room. Ben carefully opened the crate and gently lifted up the animal inside. I gasped.

The goat was little more than a baby. She was about the size of a cat with black fur and a white patch on her chest. Her wounds were terrifying. She had a gaping hole in her shoulder, still seeping blood. She had a gash on her neck and her back leg had been bit. She was in bad shape.

Ben frowned. "She has extensive wounds. She's young, I don't know if she could survive these. Even if she had surgery, her body might die from the shock. And because she's so young she'll have a hard time recovering. She can never have children. I'm sorry." He hung his head, looking frustrated. I felt a tightening in my throat.

The man sucked in a breath and examined the goat. "Ok." He said, "Put her down." He said it so simply, like talking about the weather.

Ben looked frustrated, "Ok." He turned to gather the supplies.

"WAIT!"

The two men stared in shock at the girl who had just spoken up.

I stepped forward. "Please." I begged, turning to the man. "Don't put her down."

Richard frowned, "I'm sorry." He said gently, "I can't. I need goats that can make me money, she cannot do that."

I swallowed, "What if I paid for her?" I reached in my purse, pulling out my wallet. I pulled out a few bills. "I have $50 dollars." I offered.

"I don't know. I paid twice that for her. It would be better to just put her down."

Ben put a hand on my shoulder. He smiled at me. "Think it over. If you put her down you would lose all that money. If you sell her, at least you gain some back. You said it yourself, she's worthless to you. But to this girl, I know she'll take care of her. And it wouldn't cost you any money."

I sent a silent thank you to Ben.

Richard sucked in his cheeks. "Alright, I guess $50 isn't bad." He seemed to mull it over. "How about $30? She really isn't worth $50."

I nodded, handing him a twenty and a ten. "Thank you."

As Richard left, I crouched next to the baby goat. "Hey girl." At my voice, the goat lifted her head and gave a faint bleat. She dropped her head.

Ben came back. His eyes were determined. "We need antiseptics to clean out the wounds."

I made my way to the drawer with the correct label.

We spent an hour patching her up. After cleaning out her extensive wounds, we tightly wrapped her in gauze bandages and gave her a pain shot. She remained quiet throughout the whole procedure.

"You're such a lady." I cooed to her. She closed her eyes as the shot took over. I snapped my hand. "That's your name. Lady."

Ben smiled; "It's a good name." he grew serious. "Prim, I know you have your heart set on her. But her wounds are very bad. I would give her a 20% survival chance. If she survives tonight, it will raise to 60%. If she survives the weekend, I believe she can pull through."

That's what I loved about Ben. He was honest, but not brutally honest.

"Thank you Ben."

Ben gave me a tight smile, "No problem. Why don't you go and feed those animals in the barn. After all this excitement, I'm sure they're hungry. And don't forget to let the horses graze in the pasture."

"Sure thing."

After I finished that, it was past noon. I pulled out my phone. Lady was really bothering me, I needed to talk to someone. The phone rang twice.

"Hello."

"Rue?"

"Hey Rosie." My best friend greeted.

"Hey, I was wondering if you could come over tonight. I just need a friend." I said the last part mostly jokingly.

Rue shrieked, "I would love to. I'll go ask my mom." I could hear her talking quickly to someone, "Yes! She said she would love it if I left."

I giggled, "Great, see you at 5."

"I'll be there."

I hung up, feeling satisfied. My mom picked me up.

"Hey, Rue's coming over tonight, ok?" I told my mom.

She smiled, "Ok." She then added, "How was your day sweetie?"

I gasped, "You'll never believe it mom, this man came in with a goat and he wanted to put her down…" I told my story to a wide-eyed mother; she was rapt the whole time.

"You bought a goat?" she gaped at the end.

I smiled sheepishly, "It was going to die mom, and I couldn't help it."

My mother hung her head in her hand, "You are just like your father."

I put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, I'm sure Ben will let me keep it in the barn."

"I hope so."

~0o0~

At 4:01, Rue was dropped off. She was carrying a large suitcase and a big garbage bag stuffed full.

I chuckled, "What did you bring your brother in there."

"Ha ha, very funny," Rue huffed. She brushed by me into my room. She immediately made herself at home.

"Nice place you got her, where's the soda?"

"Rue!"

We first ate a delicious meal of pizza and root beer. After that, we did each other's nails and hair. We dressed in my dressed and took lots of photos. We then settled down to watch Throw Mama from the Train. We laughed the whole time.

"Owen loves his mamma!" Rue giggled.

I did my best impression of the mother. "Your friend's dead, get his body out of the basement before he stinks up the place." We collapsed into a fit of giggles.

"Ah…I…hem…love…that…movie." Rue gasped between laughs.

"Me too."

It was 12:00. My mom came into the living room.

"Girls, time to settle down. Go and change and then you can sleep down here." She commanded.

I nodded, "Yes mom." We quickly changed and we each claimed a couch.

We talked for a while. I told Rue about Lady and she told me about this very cute guy that she liked.

"Who?" I demanded.

Rue giggled, "His name is Thresh."

I gasped, "The really tall junior?"

She nodded slyly. "We've been texting a lot."

I gasped again, "I'm so happy for you!"

Rue grew serious, "What about you do you like anyone?"

Did I like anyone? I already knew the answer. I had known the answer for one month.

**Flashback-**

_"Thanks for the ride, Cato." I called as I got out of his car. _

_ "No prob." He winked. I know he had a girlfriend, but my heart skipped a beat._

_ "See you later." I called. _

_ "Bye Rose." He had begun calling me that a few days ago. I wasn't complaining though. _

_ I was about to leave, when I knew I just had to ask. "Cato, would you ever date an underclassman?"_

_ Cato frowned, "Well, I do have a girlfriend."_

_ "Theoretically."_

_ Cato grew thoughtful, "Well, it depends. She'd have to be very mature, not like some of the underclassmen I know. She'd have to be very cute."_

_ "Oh." I said. _

_ "Someone like you." He winked again. "Theoretically of course."_

_ "Right." But I could only focus on one thing. He had called me cute. As he pulled away, I knew I couldn't deny it any longer. I liked Cato. _

_ Just saying it brought a burst of happiness. I frowned; he did have a girlfriend thought. _

_ Were they happy? A small voice whispered. _

_ I don't know, I growled back. _

_ I sighed; this was going to be a problem. "I can't fall for anyone." I told myself, "School always comes first. You know that. I could never be with someone like Cato. Besides, he's two years older than me. In a few years, he'll go to college and I'll find a nice guy, responsible, calm, and respectful."_

_ Even after I said these things, the thought of losing Cato brought an ache in my heart. _

_End of Flashback-_

I nodded, "Yes, I do like someone."

Rue squealed, "Who?" she demanded.

"I can't tell you." I teased.

"Fine. Give me a hint."

"Well, he goes to our school." I began being as vague as possible.

"Cato."

"What? How'd you? What?" I choked.

"Come on Prim, don't think I don't notice." Rue became serious, "I think you two are good for each other. Glimmer is terrible; nobody should have to deal with her. I think you deserve Cato more than she does."

I giggled nervously, "I just want him to be happy."

Rue narrowed her eyes, "he's not. Even you can see that."

"I don't know what to do."

"It's only a matter of time before he and Glimmer break up, Prim."

"And then what?"

"You tell him you like him."

"I don't know Rue."

"Prim, you need to talk to him. He and Glimmer will break up soon, and then you will have your chance."

"Ok Rue."

**Ok, really long chapter to make up for the week of no updating. Finally, Prim admits she likes Cato, yet he's still dating Glimmer. Hmm. I sense a problem arising! Don't worry Glato will end soon! R&R! You know I love it when you do **


	11. Chapter 11

**Ok, I'm soo sorry for taking so long. I've had zero inspiration and I wrote most of this in like an hour. I'll try to never do it again and update sooner. This chapter is a real shocker, but the next one will be better I promise. Everything is all part of the plot. **

The next morning I was awoken by the shout. Something heavy landed on my and I was knocked off of my couch. I let out a groan as I hit the floor.

"Get up." Rue commanded, still crouched on the couch.

"Rue." I grumbled, standing up and stretching.

"Sleepy head. You're so peaceful when you sleep. Look." Rue held up her phone, showing me several photos of sleeping me.

"Delete those." I gasped, tackling her. I struggled to wrench the phone from her grasp.

She rolled away and dove forward, slipping right from my arms. She bounded out of my reach, waving the phone around with a smirk. She then darted around the corner and vanished.

"Darn." I would never catch her now; she was much quicker than me.

I sighed and decided to make us breakfast, hopefully the smell would bring her over. I got out the ingredients for waffles. I mixed and measured and poured it in the iron.

"Waffles?" Rue popped up behind me, eyes bright.

I shook my head and poured chocolate chips in the batter. "No."

"I'm not deleting those." She mumbled around a mouthful of waffle.

"Whatever."

After that my eyes flew open. "It's morning!" I suddenly shouted.

"Yes, looking outside I would assume that." Rue teased.

I was already racing towards my phone. I fumbled with the cord and checked for messages. Zero.

"What's the rush?" Rue peered over my shoulder.

"I'm supposed to get a call to see if the goat survived the night." I shushed.

"Oh." Rue instantly sobered.

I waited another half an hour before I couldn't take it. I hastily punched in Ben's number. It rang several times before he answered.

"Hello?"

"Ben." I said breathlessly.

A pause. "Prim?"

"Did…did survive?" I cut right to the point.

Another long pause. "Oh Prim. She's not doing so well I'm afraid."

"She's alive?" I gasped. "You said she would be ok if she survived the night."

A sigh. "Prim, I know, but while she did make it, there's still a chance she'll die."

"She's a fighter." I growled, "I know she can make it."

"I hope so too." Ben said softly. "I'll call you back if her fever breaks. "

"Thanks Ben." I hung up.

"She's alive?" Rue gasped. "That's great."

"Yeah, only barely though."

"You know what you need?"

"Please don't say it."

"A mall trip!"

"I was afraid of that."

Rue was already pulling out her phone. She searched for the right number and quickly dialed.

"Yes Rue?"

"Annie."

"That's me."

"Yeah, Prim's NDW. We need to fix that."

"Mall trip?"

"My thoughts exactly."

"I'll be there in 10 minutes. Be ready."

So, after throwing on jean shorts and a purple tank top with white stripes. I combed my hair, brushed my teeth and put on deodorant.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." I muttered.

"You know you want too." Rue came up behind me. She was wearing capris and a bright yellow shirt with a long owl necklace.

"Don't forget your purse girl." She waved my purple purse in the air and I hastily snatched it.

Annie pulled up ten minutes later. She had somehow managed to curl her hair, apply a layer of flawless makeup and accessorize her outfit in less than two minutes. It took 8 minutes to drive here.

Along the way we sang along to cheesy old rock songs and had a good time. Rue was sitting up front by Annie and I got stuck in the back.

"I get front on the way home." I grumbled.

Rue turned down 'Dressed for Success by Roxette' and turned to face me. "Isn't there something you need to tell Annie? Hmm?"

I shook my head vigorously. "No."

"Tell me what?"

"Nothing." I hastily cut in over Rue.

"Well, now that I know there's something you HAVE to tell."

"It's nothing."

"I'll turn the car around right now."

"It's not that important. Rue's just exaggerating."

Rue leaned in close. "Prim has a little crush."

"Who?" Annie squealed excitedly.

"Cato." I murmured shyly.

"Who?" Annie chuckled, "I think I heard wrong."

"Cato."

"Cato Fisher?"

"Yes."  
>I could see her begin to frown slightly, "You two know each other?"<p>

"Yes, we-"

"They text a lot and hang out sometimes." Rue yelped.

"Aww Prim, I'm so happy for you." I could hear the slight hesitation in her voice.

"What's wrong with Cato?" I could feel myself getting defensive.

"Oh, nothing. He's just a junior. And you're a freshman."

"He's only a year and a half older than me. Once I graduate, what grade we're in won't matter."

"Yeah, I guess your right when you put it that way."

"Besides, I don't like like him now. It's just like. I like being friends with him."

"Hey guys we're here!"

I peered excitedly at the mall. It was separated into 12 sections called districts, each containing different styles. Like District 1 contained the really expensive stores, stuff we usually avoided because of the price. District 2 was construction supplies, tools and stuff. District 3 electronic supplies, District 4 outdoors stuff and so on.

We went straight for District 8 section. Clothing. We had our entire day planned out. Later, we would head to District 5 for our makeovers.

I managed to steer everyone towards Capitol's Closet, a cheap store with the latest funky styles for Halloween. It was fun to try everything on.

"How's this?" Rue was wearing a massive dress that stopped above the knees and shot outward. It was shaped like a flower vase, a deep turquoise with even a flower hat to try on.

I couldn't help but giggle, "You look ridiculous."

I grabbed an outfit of my own to try on. It was a green dress with a yellow stripe going down the side. It was layered with squares of darker green fabric going downward. The back had triangles running down the center and the hat had white triangles lining the rim. I was a crocodile.

"You look like a lizard." Rue teased.

"How about me?" Annie stepped out from her dressing room. She wore a tight fighting brown dress with light gray stripes running all down it. Several squares of green stuck out from random points. She also had green fingerless gloves with leaves glued down the side. Her hat was an array of various leaves.

"Nice tree."

"Alright, let's go try on the popcorn suit!"

A couple hours later, we were browsing in a store called Portia's. I was checking through a rack of very cute dresses when Annie popped up beside me. She held out an adorable dress.

"This was hidden behind a few pairs of jeans. It's too small for me."

I held it out. It was lavender strapless, knee-length dress with a black satin ribbon around the waist. The top part was jeweled and had a sweetheart neckline.

"Well…go try it on." Annie ushered me into the dressing room. "We haven't got all day." It was true, at 5 I had to go and run the day care.

I slipped into the dress. The fabric was light, it covered everything and it accented my key features. The color caused me to look slightly tanner and it looked great with my blonde hair.

I stepped out, loving the dress the longer I wore it. "Annie?"

"Prim?" I almost gasped out loud. There standing not ten feet from where I was standing, was Cato. His mouth hung slightly open for half a heartbeat and he quickly recovered.

"Hello." His voice was cool, casual, and aloof. He leaned back slightly and tilted his chin up. He wore dark jeans and a tight fighting polo. His hair was combed but a part of it was beginning to ruffle. I was almost tempted to smooth it down.

"You look nice." He eyed the dress.

"Thanks." I spluttered, still not believing the odds.

"Do you work here?" I tried to make conversation.

"Nah."

"What-what are you doing here?" I stuttered out.

"He's here with me." Glimmer snarled nastily. She passed by a rack of clothes and latched on Cato's arm. He flickered his gaze briefly to her.

"Yes."

I couldn't help but feel a flash of jealousy at the sight. Glimmer was so annoying. She didn't deserve him.

"Aww, that's an adorable little dress. Little girl." Glimmer narrowed her eyes at me.

I shifted uncomfortably, feeling Cato's unwavering stare and Glimmer shooting daggers at me. The dress suddenly seemed too short and I felt exposed. I wrapped my arms around myself.

Glimmer gave an ugly laugh. "I don't know what Cato sees in you."

"Glimmer, stop." Cato tugged on her hand. "I don't like her, I like you." He threw me a desperate look.

"THAN WHAT WAS THAT?" she shrieked.

"Let's just go." He was mortified.

"You're supposed to me my boyfriend."

"I am your boyfriend."

"Cato, I'm sick of this. This girl has been practically throwing herself at you this whole time." Glimmer's voice went up a few octaves.

"She hasn't been Glim. You've just been trying to convince yourself that so much, you're starting to believe it."

"You need to be supportive!" she shouted shrilly.

"Glimmer."

"Have you two kissed?"

"I promise you Cato is 100% supportive." I stepped in. Glimmer whirled around the face me, her eyes wild. I could see the weeks of grudge-holding building up and heading to the surface.

"I HATE YOU!" I could see the anger and desperation showing as she narrowed her eyes. Her calm demeanor was gone, replaced by such raw anger. Her face was turning a bright red, which not even layers of thick makeup could hide. Her fists clenched and unclenched, turning perfectly porcelain knuckles a ghostly white. Glimmer's body was tensed, like a spring loaded trap that could bust at any moment.

"Glimmer." I tried reason. A commotion to the side. Annie was watching, her eyes wide with horror, and a necklace in her hand. Rue was right behind her. I shook my head.

That's when she snapped. Like a snake she flew forward, her eyes were half closed in concentration as she launched herself at me. Her arms were windmills, spinning deliriously in all directions. I leaped to the side to avoid the brunt of her fury. One of her arms struck me in the face. I felt mostly shock from the onslaught.

"GLIMMER!" Cato ran to grab her, not before she managed to knock over a rack of clothes.

The girl seemed to come to her senses as Cato wrapped his strong arms around her. She looked around in confusion for a moment before widening her eyes in horror. She collapsed against Cato, her sobs wrecking her body.

Cato calmly stroked her hair soothingly. He closed his eyes and exhaled. "It was good to see you guys." He coughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "See you around." A store employee shot them a glare as they left and made his way towards us.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You guys are causing trouble."

I sighed, "We're going." I changed out of the dress and headed out.

"You're not buying it?" Annie came up behind me.

"I-I just don't really feel like it."

"Well that's too bad."

"Where's Rue?"

Like she had been called our friend came bounding out of the store with a bag in her hands. "Sorry, just had to pay for my stuff."

"Are you ok?" Annie paused to stare deep into my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just dandy."

"Yeah, real believable."

"Alright, let's go home."

"No." Rue shoved me into a nearby bench. "First we need to talk about that."

"What's there to talk about?"

"First off, is your face ok?"

"Yeah, it just stings a little."

"You do realize that's going to help you, right?"

"What? Me getting attacked by Glimmer?"

"Yes!" Rue began to talk amiably, waving her hands wildly around. "Glimmer looked like a total bully. She beat you up for talking to Cato. He's going to see that and think; hmm do I really want to date this psycho? Then, they break up and BAM! You move in for the kill."

"Rue, I'm not going to purposely cause them to break up. I'm not that desperate."

"Well, what are you going to do? Sit here and hope he comes back?"

Annie coughed, "Ahem, I think we should just let it run its course. Ok? I want to hang out with you guys and I don't want to spend the whole time gossiping."

I couldn't help but smile. "Annie's right, I'm not going to wallow in sorrow today. I think we should have fun."

~0o0~

Cato's POV-

Glimmer was leaning with her head against the window, staring out at the scenery. She hadn't said one word since we left. I took a deep breath.

"Glimmer. What was that?"

"Nothing Cato, nothing."

"Nothing? You just flipped out on Prim because you were in a bad mood."

"Cato, don't speak to me in that tone."

"Glimmer, I can't keep doing this. I don't want to have to deal with this kind of drama. I don't want to be worried every time we go somewhere that you're going to freak out on some poor girl."

"Yeah, Prim's definitely poor alright."

"Glimmer please."

"It's not just me. It's you. You're always hanging out with her. Of course I'm going to be suspicious."

"If you were jealous, why didn't you just say something? I would've tried to fix things. You didn't just have to hold a grudge and let it all out in public."

"Oh, so now I'm embarrassing you? Is that how it works?"

"That's not what I mean."

"I don't like her."

"Glimmer, Prim's my friend. I can't just totally ignore her just to please you. You aren't the center of the universe."

Uh oh.

"NO? SHE'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN ME?" I winced at the shrillness.

"Yes, I mean no. Glimmer, I want to date you and be friends with Prim. Got it?"

"No. You need to choose. Me or her. Right now."

"I'm not going to choose."

"You don't have a choice. Me or her. The choice is simple Cato."

"Glimmer, I'm not going to choose."

She breathed through her nose. "Pull over."

"What?"

"PULL OVER OR I'M GOING TO JUMP OUT."

I sighed but pulled to the side of the road. Glimmer got up, grabbed her purse and got out. "I love you Cato." She whispered, kissing my cheek. She narrowed her eyes. "But I need to know by tonight. Me or her." With that, she was gone.

I lowered my head against the steering wheel. I sighed and got out my phone. I quickly punched in the numbers.

~o0o~

Prim's POV-

I was so distracted. I thought of everything. I thought of my job tonight. I loved it dearly, the kids were amazing. I had a few favorites.

Hedrick; he was an adorable 2 year old with no teeth. He had a shaved head and bright green eyes. His face was covered in freckles and he loved to smile. His laugh always put a grin on my face.

Mia; the cute 6 year old. She was so smart for her age; she just liked to hang out with you. She had the most innocent blue eyes and golden hair that looked perfect on her porcelain skin. She was little for her age too. I remember one time when I was worried about my other job.

_The little six year old determinedly clambered up on my lap. "What's wrong Pim?" she said, innocent eyes staring sweetly. _

_"Oh nothing honey, just a little worried. Nothing seems to be going right, right now."_

_"My bother always says when nothing goes right, go weft." _

_I let out a small chuckled. "Does he?" I had no idea who her family was. _

_"Yes." She said solemnly. _

_"How about we go play in the doll house?"_

_"K." _

I couldn't help but smile as I thought of that. Then I thought about Cato and Glimmer.

Their relationship was falling apart. The cause? Me. That realization made my heart ache. I would never want to deliberately hurt Cato. He liked Glimmer, he even told her. I was ruining his chances with her. I still felt awful.

That's when my phone rang. I checked caller ID. Cato. I swallowed. "Guys, I need to take this. It's important."

"We'll be inside WEB." Rue waved and she and Annie made their way inside.

"Hello?"

"Prim." Cato sounded rushed. "I need to talk to you."

I swallowed, "Me too."

"You can go first." He almost sounded eager.

"Ok."

"I'm sorry." I began. "I've been so selfish. I've been ruining your relationship. I don't want to do that anymore. I don't think we should hang out anymore."

"What?" I could hear the shock in his voice. Shouldn't he be happy?

"I'm sorry. I'll delete your number, I won't talk to you. You and Glimmer seem happy together."

"Um…"

"I don't want to ruin your chances anymore."

"Prim…" he seemed unsure. I needed to help him along.

"Goodbye Cato." I hung up. Then, I finalized it and deleted his number. There, he could be with Glimmer. I know I did the right thing, but why do I feel so empty?

**Well, what did you think? Shocker? Well, I really would love 200 reviews but 175 would be nice too. Hmm maybe I'll update sooner? Hee hee, don't worry this is all part of the plot guys. Your reviews are so amazing and they always make my day! R&R!**


	12. Chapter 12

** Ok, since I got my 175 reviews, here is a little treat for you guys. You all are amazing! Virtual hugs for everyone! Now, let's aim for 200! I'd be the happiest girl in the world! R&R!**

Click. With those few words I'd just lost my closest friend. I still could hear the click as the receiving end hung up. It echoed almost tauntingly in my mind as I stared at the black rectangle that just ended my chances. Why did I let her speak first?

I clenched my jaw. Fine by me. She was being emotional. The fight with Glimmer had thrown her off. I pulled away. If I turned around I could pick up Glimmer still but I really didn't want to talk with her right now.

I drove fast, swerving recklessly, not really caring. My ears pounded as blood rushed towards them. Anger. Anger at Glimmer. Why had she attacked Prim? It was her jealousy that ruined Prim and my friendship. She was so melodramatic sometimes. Anger at Prim. Why did she do that? Couldn't she just be happy? Unless…no. That couldn't be true. Why was she so emotional? And first and foremost, anger at myself. Why did I bring Glimmer here? Why didn't I leave as soon as I saw Prim? Maybe I was sending the wrong signals. Maybe Glimmer really thought that Prim and I were more than friends. Well…

I almost sighed with relief as I pulled into my driveway. I slammed on the breaks and jumped out. Mia leapt into my arms as I stormed in the door.

"Cato!" she kissed me on the cheek.

"Hey." I set her down and patted her on the head. I turned and stalked into my room. Mia followed me.

"Wat's wrong?" her wide eyes stared innocently back into my angry blue ones.

"It's nothing honey, why don't you go get ready for the day care?"

"I'm ready." Her eyes darkened, "Wat's wrong?"

I sighed, "You just don't give up do you?" Mia might have trouble pronouncing a few words, but she was not dumb. She was a clever little 6 year old who knew way too much for her age. Yet, she contained the innocence of a girl her age.

She smiled, showing sparkling white teeth.

I gave a slight smile. "Well, I lost a very close friend today."

"How?" she demanded, crawling in my lap.

"Well, her and Glimmer don't like each other. She didn't want to make Glimmer mad."

"Gimmer? I don't like her."

"Mia." I reprimanded her. "She's my girlfriend."

"She smells too strong."

I laughed, "Sometimes. It's her perfume, honey."

"I wed a book and wen the two people fought, they didn't want to say together. You and Gimmer fight but you say togewer. Why?"  
>I picked her up and carried her towards her room. "Because we are dating. You can't just decide to leave someone because you fight. You need to try and solve your problems. You can't hide from them."<p>

"Yeah but-"

"Ok, I'm not going to get into an argument with a six year old about dating."

"Cato." She pouted.

I brushed her chin and knelt down. "I'm going to get ready and then I'll take you to your day care."

"Today were going to the park."

"That sounds like fun."

"Yeah, I guess."

"I want you to go and have lots of fun tonight then."

"Will you take me?"

"Of course."

I had to bend awkwardly to give her a hug. She leaned close.

"I hope you and your friend make up. And Glimmer."

I frowned, "Yeah. Me too."

I was quiet on the drive there. Deep in thought. Mia didn't notice, she had placed in her favorite CD and was busy singing along.

"Way down south where bananas grow! A flea stepped on an elephants toe!"

I shook my head and sullenly focused on the driving.

We pulled into the day care and I escorted Mia inside. I quickly signed her in and the receptionist gave me a warming smile. I lifted the corners of my lip slightly.

"Welcome Mia, everyone is gathering in the TV room. Cato if you want you can take her there. We will return at 8:00." That gave the kids three hours at the playground. Mia was bouncing excitedly, tugging on my hand. "They will have a snack. Does she have any allergies to peanuts or soy?"

"No ma'am."

"Ok, we just require the parent or guardian to sign this waiver to ensure we aren't responsible for any accidents that might occur. We provide an invigorating environment and take the safest of precautions."

"Thank you." I quickly scribbled a slightly eligible scrawl in my name.

Cato Fisher. I filled in the information.

Please clearly print child's name. Mia

Age. 6

Any health problems? No.

Contact number. I punched in my number.

Doctor and hospital. I entered the number and address.

I finished and handed the receptionist the sheet. She gave another huge smile and took it.

"Right down the hall."

"Thank you."

I took Mia's hand and led her down the faded hall into the TV room. I opened the door, expecting chaos.

The children were squirming excitedly but the managed to sit down. They talked in loud whispers, sometimes forgetting and accidentally shouting. Several adults circled the bunch of chairs and made sure the children behaved.

In the midst of the setting I could only focus on one young girl, currently quieting a teary eyed boy. Prim.

I could feel a tightening in my chest. I took a partial step forward and stopped. She glanced up briefly, not noticing me. My momentary confusion vanished, replaced by anger. She had chosen. I turned away.

Mia tugged in his arm, "It's Prim! She's very nice."

"I got to go now honey, I'll pick you up at eight."

"Ok." She seemed to be distracted by seeing all her friends. "Bye."

I turned to leave but my eyes caught Prim's gaze this time. She stopped for a moment and then turned away. Fine by me. I left quickly, my head cloudy.

I flipped open my phone and dialed Glimmer's number. She picked up on the second ring.

"Cato! I've been waiting for your call for hours." She snapped.

"I'm sorry Glim, I had to drop off Mia." I sighed, "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I was wondering if you'd like to go out for dinner."

"Yes, I'd love too." She gushed, "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have attacked Pain in public."

"You mean Prim?"

"Yeah, right."

I closed my eyes for a moment. "Alright, be ready in thirty minutes."

"I will." She giggled and hung up.

Alright, I had thirty minutes until I would go out with my girlfriend. How come when I thought that, I thought of Prim?

**Ok, it's a little short but the next chapter will have drama, romance, fighting, and maybe a breakup. So, R&R! You amazing little reviewers. Haha. So have a good day and enjoy this story!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Ok, sorry for the late update, thanks to my reviewers, you guys are awesome. Oh, and I'll be going on vacation for a week tomorrow so I won't be able to update for a while. You know what would be an awesome surprise? 250 reviews. And so, I'll put a small sneak peek of what's happening in the next chapter at the end of this one. Just for you guys. R&R! **

* * *

><p>Glimmer was waiting outside for me, foot tapping impatiently. She scowled as I pulled in. The glare of my headlights showed her perfect blonde hair cascading down in golden locks. She was wearing thick makeup, that normally would look nice, but the combination of night and headlights made her look like a raccoon.<p>

"Sorry, I had to drop off Mia."

"How about tonight we just don't talk about Mia, ok? I don't want to hear about that little brat for a few hours."

I was momentarily caught off guard. I narrowed my eyes. "Yes, let's not talk about her."

I held open the door as she slipped in. I looked slightly closer at her. What I mistook for a scowl was actually a worried half frown. Her forehead was creased, making her eye shadow look thicker than it actually was. With closer examination, I realized her makeup was very hastily applied without even checking for flaws. Something was up.

We made light chatter as we drove to the restaurant. I was focused on the road, she on something I couldn't pin point. I watched darkened shadows fly by as I kept the speedometer at sixty.

Finally, I could've let out a sigh of relief as I saw the familiar bright neon lighting. Green Snapper.

Stepping into Green Snapper was like stepping into Atlantis. The walls were painted a sea blue with white foam crown molding. Golden lanterns hung instead of regular lighting and the ground was a sandy mixture with rocks built in it. The lighting caused it to glow faintly. The seating was booths and tables. It was a mixture of class and fish. Soft beachy music floated from the speakers rigged.

Glimmer and I were escorted into a booth near the back. As soon as the waiter took our drinks, I couldn't help it.

"What's troubling you?"

Glimmer's lip quivered, "It's nothing Cato. It's complicated."

"Glimmer, you can tell me anything."

She seemed to hesitate, debating her options. "Well, it's about Prim."

I tensed up immediately. "What about her?" I knew Glimmer still harbored anger towards her and she probably would just say rude things about her.

"Well, I learned something about her. I thought you might like to know."

"Yes."

"She likes you. A lot." The news surprised me. I couldn't speak though because Glimmer pressed on. "And it bothers me because she knows you have a girlfriend but she still throws herself at you. I mean, I bet she followed us to the stores and she's probably been stalking you. I mean, how else would she know where we've been. I find it so creepy honestly. I mean a freshman! Ha. So, how do you feel about her?" Glimmer's worried eyes bore deep into mine. I could now see why she'd been so troubled. She didn't know what to do anymore. She thought she would lose me to Prim.

Then, a deep nagging voice tugged at my conscious. _Prim, remember her? She's the cute little freshman whose heart is a big as her eyes. Honestly, Glimmer only cares about herself. She doesn't look at how others are doing. With her it's me me me. You know Prim, she would never hurt a fly, she's smart, and sensitive, and she puts others first. Isn't that why you like her? _

His other voice cut through, _what are you doing? Glimmer is hot. She's so protective it's almost cute. And also, SHE'S YOUR AGE. Prim isn't old enough, she's not mature enough to understand. Look at her, everything about her says, innocent. Glimmer is fun._

_Prim's fun too. She might be innocent but she isn't oblivious. _

_Glimmer's your girlfriend; you've known her so long. How could you even think about turning your back on her?_

I brushed the thoughts aside, still unsure. I looked back into Glim's eyes, her never taking her gaze off me.

"No, I don't like Prim."

_Liar!_

~0o0~

Prim's POV- (A/N: this is much later, not happening at the same time. It's around 10:00 right now, so Cato and Glimmer are done eating.)

After making sure all the kids got a ride, I walked over to my car. To my surprise, Katniss was waiting for me instead of mom. I grinned at her and she beamed back. Everything about her radiated happiness.

"Why, you seem awfully happy about something. Spill." I demanded.

Katniss laughed, "What happened to sweet Prim? I miss her."

"She's no longer here, now curious Prim would love to know why you're so excited."

"We're getting some ice cream." She said evasively, pulling out of the parking lot, still smiling.

"Katniss." I growled. "And ice cream? It's 10:00."

"Fine! You win. And by the way, it's never too late for ice cream."

"Yes it is."

"Fine, you can order fries or something different."

"Stop stalling."

Katniss rolled her eyes, "When I was a kid, freshmen used to respect seniors." She muttered.

"Katniss!"

"Ha-ha, ok. I'll tell you." She shot a looked at me. "While you were busy working. I was on a date."

"With who?" I shrieked excitedly.

"Peeta." She smiled.

"Tell me all about it!" I gasped.

"Ok, so he called me up yesterday and wanted to know if I was busy tomorrow. I said no and he said ok and hung up. So when I got home and showered and stuff after soccer, the door rang and I opened it, almost expecting Peeta. No, instead there was a packet. Inside the packet was instructions, driving instructions. I followed them. I ended up on this long road I've never been on before. It ended at a put put course." (For anyone who doesn't know, Put Put is miniature golf)

I couldn't help but chuckle.

"And Peeta was standing there with flowers. He gave them to me and we played put put. It was so cheesy and I had such a great time."

"and then?"

"I followed him to this restaurant nearby. We ate there. It was strange though, the restaurant was in the middle of nowhere, but Glimmer and Marvel were there too. I honestly didn't expect to see anyone from school there."

Something about the way she said it made me freeze. So casually like you might say, Glimmer and Cato. As in, a couple. Like, Glimmer and Marvel, are dating. No, she and Cato were dating. Unless, she was cheating on him. No.

I had to find out more. "Like with other people? Or just those two?"

Katniss gave me a strange look, "Just those two. As in, a date."

"Are you sure it was a date?"

"Yes, she kissed him and left. I'm pretty sure friends don't do that." Her eyes grew distant, "Which, I thought her and Cato were dating but I guess not."

I felt a wave of worry, now that I had this information, what was I going to do with it?

"So then what happened?" I asked mildly interested.

"Oh, we had a nice dinner, and then I kissed his cheek and went to pick you up."

"I'm so happy for you." I said, barely lifting my head.

"Me too." She continued to smile. My thoughts meanwhile were racing.

_YOU HAVE TO TELL CATO! He needs to know. _

_You two aren't friends anymore; he'll just see it as an act of jealousy. _

_This is your chance, they'll break up, and you two can be together. _

_No, I would never purposely break them up just to be with Cato. That's disloyal. I would never want a relationship built on a lie. _

_If the roles were reversed. _

_You're right! I would want to know, and I bet Cato would too. I need to tell him. _

The anticipation was so great, that if I had his phone number, I would've called him already. I ate my fries and powered through my drink at the Snack Shop. Tomorrow, Cato would learn the truth about Glimmer.

**Ok, sorry if this chapter seems short, but shocking. Now, here's a little sneak peek for all the wonderful reviewers. **

* * *

><p><em>"Can I talk to you?" I asked hesitantly, the courage I had last night seemed to have wilted. <em>

_The blonde boy with blue eyes seemed to be conflicting with himself. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he muttered a half-hearted, "Fine." _

_Glimmer was shooting daggers at me as Cato and I walked to a secluded spot in the lunch area. _

_"Shoot." He said warily. _

_"Cato, you know even though we're not friends right now, I still care about you. And if you ever learned something that would affect me, I would want you to tell me." _

_He closed his eyes, "Prim." He began, but I cut him off. _

_"Let me finish. Last night, Katniss and Peeta went on a date." Cato sneered. I chose to ignore it. "Katniss told me she saw Marvel and Glimmer at the restaurant. They kissed and left." I finished the last part, practically spitting it out. I tensed, waiting for the response. _

_"Wow." He said. "I'm shocked. Simply shocked." The calmness in his voice made me immediately worried. _

_"You are?" _

_"Yes. That you would be so selfish and so concerned about your own problems that you would make up a story about Glimmer, just to break us up. I have never seen such a selfish move." _

**So, 250 reviews maybe? Ha, I hope that's enough to satisfy you for the week or so I'm gone. Please R&R!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Ok, two weeks later and I'm back! Woohoo! Thanks to all my amazing fans for the 250 mark! You guys rock so much! Ok, in this chapter it's sort of split into two parts and you'll see why. I found two great songs that will work perfectly for the situations so this chapter will be a wee bit different. It works though. Again, you guys are so amazing and this awesome chapter is dedicated to all of you! R&R! =) **

**Prim's POV-**

I leaned my head back against the cool pillow, enjoying the moments of peace. I winced every time thoughts of _him _slipped in my mind. I closed my eyes, feeling the tears well at the edge. Conflicting thoughts raced through my mind at the sudden weakness.

_He's still your friend even though Glimmer hates you._

_He was glaring at you the last time you saw him. He's going to be so mad. _

_I have to tell him. If the roles were reversed I would want to know. _

I had to tell him. I pondered the moment. The right time. Should I call him? _No, you deleted his number, remember? _Tomorrow before school started then. I promised myself as I began to drift into a light slumber.

Ring.

The loud noise of my phone woke me before I could drift into a fitful sleep. I fumbled for a second before answering.

"Hllo?" I mumbled.

"Prim? Is this a bad time?" I recognized the voice immediately.

"Ben?" I gasped. Then I remembered earlier that morning. "Is it about Lady?"

"Man, even half asleep you have a sharp mind. Yes, this is about Lady." His tone made me tense warningly.

"What about her?"

"She pulled through."

"What?"

"She's going to survive!"

"Yay! When can I see her?"

I heard a chuckle on the other line. "She's going to survive but she's still badly injured. How about you come by after school? Can you get a ride?"

"I'll get Annie to take me." I promised. "See you tomorrow."

"Don't lose focus in school." I laughed and hung up, feeling a bit better. The feeling was soon crushed at my remembering of what I had to do tomorrow. I swallowed and rolled over, trying to work out what I was going to say.

School was even tougher. I practically had to drag myself there. My mother was quiet as we drove. I didn't speak. As she pulled away, Rue bounded off to break into her locker to finish some last minute homework.

I walked up to Cato and his group, forcing myself to move. I paused and cleared my throat. Around 10 people stopped talking and turned to face me. I focused on Cato.

"Can I talk to you?" I asked hesitantly, the courage I had last night seemed to have wilted.

The blonde boy with blue eyes seemed to be conflicting with himself. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he muttered a half-hearted, "Fine."

Glimmer was shooting daggers at me as Cato and I walked to a secluded spot in the lunch area.

"Shoot." He said warily.

"Cato, you know even though we're not friends right now, I still care about you. And if you ever learned something that would affect me, I would want you to tell me."

He closed his eyes, "Prim." He began, but I cut him off.

"Let me finish. Last night, Katniss and Peeta went on a date." Cato sneered. I chose to ignore it. "Katniss told me she saw Marvel and Glimmer at the restaurant. They kissed and left." I finished the last part, practically spitting it out. I tensed, waiting for the response.

"Wow." He said. "I'm shocked. Simply shocked." The calmness in his voice made me immediately worried.

"You are?"

"Yes. That you would be so selfish and so concerned about your own problems that you would make up a story about Glimmer, just to break us up. I have never seen such a selfish move. All because you like me and want to date me. I'm a junior; you're an immature little freshman. I don't think you understand that."

"What?" I spluttered. "I never-I wouldn't." I was furious suddenly. "Why would I want to get together with a jerk like you? I don't like you. In fact, I think you know that your girlfriend likes Marvel, but you chose to ignore it because you're so shallow like that." Finished, I spun around and stalked away, leaving a gawking Cato behind.

Once out of range though, the guilt coursed through me. I felt bad for snapping so rudely at Cato, even if he deserved it. I slipped into the bathroom, fighting tears. That wasn't the way I wanted our conversation to go.

_How did you expect it to go? He believes you, breaks up with Glimmer, and asks you to dinner? _

A single tear rolled down my face as I took a huge gulp of air. Don't ever let the person who hurt you see you cry. I sniffled and straightened up. I needed to face the world. I couldn't just hide.

I almost forgot about math class. It was probably one of the most awkward situations I've ever been in. Cato and I sat side by side, not speaking, not moving, not shifting, not anything. I felt so awkward. I almost couldn't wait for the bell to ring. Just as I was getting up a hand touched my arm. I turned to face Cato.

"Prim." He spoke quickly with a low voice. "I have to find out for myself. I learned that. Never believe rumors. But, if you're wrong. We can never be friends." He got up and left without another word. I felt another flash of fury.

Honestly, his words suggested he thought I was lying but a part of him nagged that I might be speaking the truth. I sighed, Glimmer would never admit to him. I got up and sighed deeply. We were no longer friends according to him. I just wanted to curl up in my bed and cry right now.

**(A/N ok, this is Kelly Clarkson Sober. I changed the lyrics from three months to one week because if it were three months later it would ruin my story! I don't own these lyrics Mrs. Clarkson does.)**

_And I don't know_

_This could break my heart or save me_

_Nothing's real _

_Until you let go completely _

_So here I go with all my thoughts I've been saving_

_So here I go with all my fears weighing on me _

_One week and I'm still sober_

_Picked all my weeds but kept the flowers_

_But I know, it's never really over _

_And I don't know_

_I could crash and burn_

_But maybe at the end of this road_

_I might catch a glimpse of me _

_So I won't worry about my timing_

_I wanna get it right_

_No comparing, second guessing_

_No, not this time _

_One week and I'm still breathing_

_Been a long road since those hands_

_I left my tears in but I know_

_It's never really over, no, wake up _

_One week and I'm still standing here_

_One week and I'm getting better yeah,_

_One week and I still am _

_One week and it's still harder now_

_One week I've been living here without you now_

_One week, yeah, One week _

_One week and I'm still breathing_

_One week and I still remember it_

_One week and I wake up _

_One week and I'm still sober_

_Picked all my weeds but kept the flowers_

I finish writing with a small rose in the corner of the paper. I curled further in my father's study chair. I spent more time in there the past few days. Day one-two: I went home and collapsed sobbing on the comfy cousins. Day three-four: I began to quietly sob. Day five to six: I realized I had to stop. Day seven: these lyrics hit me. And so I wrote them, with dry eyes. I realized something. I did need to move on. I couldn't spend my life wishing for something that would never happen.

I also realized something. My art project was due in a couple weeks. Instead of a report, I was going to submit this poem with a small paragraph I had written about how love doesn't always come to people. I had found a bunch of love quotes too and added those.

"He's my Prince Charming but I'm the narrator to his love story."

"The worst feeling in the world is sitting next to the person who means everything to you and knowing you mean nothing to them."

Ah, I'll stop being depressing. I lifted my head at another ring. I wondered briefly if it was Ben. I did go and see Lady and he called every day, leaving voicemails about her progress. I just couldn't find the strength to answer the phone. I sighed and decided to answer. I had moped enough.

"Prim." A voice shrieked as soon as I clicked the receiver.

"Rue. Nice to hear your voice." I winced.

"Ok, so I've been thinking about you, Mrs. Sad and I've come to the-"

"Rue, I'm feeling better. I need something exciting." I groaned as I said those words. But I needed something distracting.

"Ok, so Thresh and I have been talking."

"That's great!" I said with a flicker of enthusiasm.

"Alright, don't smother me with excitement. And anyways, he's going to this party and he invited me! He said I could bring a friend! And you're my friend! So you're coming."

"Ahh, I don't know if that's a good idea Rue."

"Come on, you said you wanted excitement. Fun. Something daring. Come on."

I felt a flicker of thrill at the thought of doing something daring. "Alright, just this once. I never want to be asked to another party. No drinking, no smoking. Those are my rules."

"Great! Annie's coming by in a couple hours to get us so get your butt ready. I'll be over in ten minutes."

"Why do I let you talk me into these things?" I groaned.

_It's been a really really messed up week  
>Seven days of torture, seven days of bitter<br>And my girlfriend went and cheated on me  
>She's a California dime but it's time for me to quit her<em>

La la la, whatever, la la la, it doesn't matter, la la la, oh well, la la la

We're going at it tonight tonight  
>There's a party on the rooftop top of the world<br>Tonight tonight and we're dancing on the edge of the Hollywood sign  
>I don't know if I'll make it but watch how good I'll fake it<br>It's all right, all right, tonight, tonight

I slammed my hand down on the radio knob, successfully turning it. The song lyrics stuck in my head annoyingly. There actually was a party tonight. I realized. I wasn't going though.

"I don't know why you don't want to go." Glimmer whined beside me. "I don't like going alone."

"You'll be fine." I snapped, focusing on the road. Glimmer snorted angrily. I dropped her off and pulled out of the driveway.

In fact, I was going tonight. I wouldn't be telling anyone though. It was true; I had to find out for myself if the rumors were true.

**Oo drama! Haha, here a long update for you guys! Enjoy! R&R! The next chapter will be a break-up. Whew, took long enough. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Ok, thanks to all the reviewers, you guys are alllll amazing! Honestly. I give you all a big virtual hug if that won't scare you. **

***Clears throat* first off we have to address several things. *Pulls out a stack of papers* this is the longest chapter ever!**

**IMPORTANT READ HERE: Ok, I was being dumb and I made a mistake. If it wasn't so important I would've just left it but this is pretty big. Ok, here it goes. Prim wrote a poem titled three days. Well, after a realization then the day she wrote it would be Wednesday. That won't work because what's going to happen in this chapter will take place over the night and she can't be gone on a school night. So, I went back and changed the poem. The day is now Friday, or five days later. That way, all I had planned for this chapter will be able to make MUCH more sense. Sorry for my stupid mistake and I hope this doesn't ruin our otherwise wonderful relationship! Oh and nothing bad will happen in this chapter, it will remain T rated I promise, nothing I'm not comfortable writing about. R&R!**

**And secondly, R&R. ok that was probably the longest Author's Note ever, sorry guys. I'll make it up to you by making an extra long chapter hopefully. It's going to be full of drama. **

**And also I'm a little mad because someone else's story is so eerily similar to mine so sorry if this is late. **

I didn't know why I let Rue talk me into this. I mean, I wasn't a partier. Maybe it was because I was so upset I wasn't thinking rationally. I only knew that if I took one drink and got caught, my doctor's career was over. Majorly. I would never drink anyways.

I lied to my mother when I called her over the phone. "I'm going to spend the night at Annie's. Rue's coming so we can get ready."

"Ok honey, don't stay up too late. Is your homework done?"

"Yes."

And so I was currently sitting in my room, staring at the wall debating whether I was going to get caught or not.

Rue came bounding over with a HUGE armful of clothes. She had four bags brimming with them. She looked like she had run through a windstorm too.

"Time to pick out an outfit." She chimed, barging through the door to my room. I fell over in shock.

"How did you get in here? I locked all the doors." I hissed.

"The key you guys have hidden in the flower pot." I sweat-dropped.

"I don't want to know how you found that."

"That's not important silly." She began to shove clothes out of bags.

"Rue, I'm not wearing those."

"Of course you aren't, I already have your dress."

"What's it look like?" a flicker of curiosity.

"You already know." As she held up a dress I couldn't help but gasp. It was the dress at Portia's, the one I tried on when Cato and Glimmer were there.

"That's why you stayed behind longer than the rest of us!"

"Yeah, you looked so cute in that dress I bought it for you.** (A/N remember?) **You owe me $12.56."

I giggled, "You're crazy."

"Nope. Seriously though, 12.56."

"Rue!"

"Fine, $12.06."

"I-"

"You can thank me later, now go get changed, Annie's coming soon with the make-up."

I locked my bathroom and slipped on my dress. It was beautiful lavender; it fit perfectly, just like I remembered. I tied the black band around my waist and straightened the sweetheart neckline. The sparkles on the top part glinted in the lighting. I smiled at my reflection. A loud pounding sounded on the door.

"Prim, I picked out some jewelry for you. Hurry up I need to curl your hair."

I opened the door and jumped barely out of the way as Rue shoved her way in. She thrust a box of stuff in my hand. "Put this on while I curl your hair."

I was led to my bed and I sat down to evaluate my jewelry while she began her work. There was a thin silver necklace with a silver bird holding an arrow. It was ringed by a diamond circle.

"I forgot about this necklace." I mused, remembering the Christmas my sister got it for me.

_Christmas morning two years ago-_

_A younger Prim bounded down the stairs; even though she was getting older Christmas never lost its excitement. She smiled at a softly lit tree full of gleaming presents. The smell of cinnamon and cookies (baked yesterday) still hovered in the air. _

_She was old enough now where she could restrain herself from hurtling into everyone's bedrooms to wake them up. _

_"Are you up early enough?" a sophomore Katniss chuckled as she made her way down the stairs. _

_Prim smiled and gave her sister a hug. "I'm just excited."_

_"Me too, my little duck."_

_"Hey, can I give you your present before everyone wakes up?" Prim was a little shy about the present she got for her sister. She didn't know if she'd like it or not. _

_"Sure, it can be our little secret."_

_Prim shifted through the pile until she found the present for her sister. She nervously handed it over. Her sister ripped through the paper and opened the small box. Inside was a folded piece of paper. She opened it and read the poem/sentimental paragraph she had written._

_"A sister is the one who will catch you when you fall._

_A sister is the one who has been there through it all_

_A sister is the one who was there through good times and bad._

_A sister will be with you always. _

_I love you Katniss._

_Love, _

_Prim."_

_She put the paper down, tears welling in her eyes. "That was the sweetest gift I've ever got. Where'd you learn to write like that?"_

_Prim put her head down shyly, "Thanks, I-I just guess it just came to me." She actually had spent weeks on it._

_"Ok, now it's time for your gift. I'm sorry I didn't make you a poem, my poetic skills are lacking."_

I smiled as I remembered the first poem I had ever given to somebody. I knew she still kept it somewhere.

I also slipped on some silver hoops and smiled at my reflection. Rue had picked out her outfit; a knee length black dress with a cheetah print belt and a large swirled necklace. Her earring were black with glitter. Normally, it might look like a strange mix, but on her it looked good.

"You look hot." She winked. I chuckled.

"You too."

The doorbell rang for a moment before the door opened. Thank goodness my mom was gone or else she'd be suspicious. Annie came into my room wearing a form fitting red dress that stopped just below the knees. She wore a gold chain with a trident piece and matching gold earrings. Due to the very bright red, her makeup was minimal. She had a pale pink lip gloss with gray eye shadow and black eyeliner.

Rue put on heavy black eye shadow and used liquid eye liner to create a Cleopatra look. She glossed her lips and threw the gloss to me. I put on light purple eye shadow and mascara.

Ready, we all set out into the night.

`-0o00-~

I drove with Vick, keeping low in the passenger seat. Of all my friends, I would trust him the most. I admitted my plan to him and he reluctantly agreed.

"I'll drive you there and that's it."

"Deal." And so here I was, staying as low as possible as we drew closer.

"You know Cato, to be honest; I don't know why you stay with Glimmer."

I glanced over at the junior; his dark brown hair was swept back from his smoky gray eyes. I narrowed my own eyes.

"I-" and that's when it hit me. Why? Why did I put up with her mood swings? Her anger? Why?

"I guess- I guess it's just because I hoped she would change. You know, when we met a while ago, she was so carefree. Then she turned very clingy and jealous."

"And you still stay together? I know there's a large chance she went on a date with Marvel and you know that too. Yet you choose to stay with her and push away Prim. She stayed away from you to help your relationship with Glimmer. She's helped you out. And she even put you first and warned you. And yet you still can't bring yourself to believe her."

"Shut it." I growled. "I don't want to hear from you at the moment." I peeked over the edge of the car to see the house drawing near.

"Thanks for the ride." I opened the door as Vick slowed and dove out. I rolled twice and crouched low behind a bush.

"Are you sure you're not taking this too far?" Vick frowned as he began to pull away. I merely waved him on.

"Maybe." I muttered under my breath. I had dressed in dark gray jeans, slung low with no belt. I also wore a tight fitting white tee shirt and a black leather jacket over it. My blonde hair was covered by a gray ski hat hanging loosely upon my head. My sneakers were black Nikes™ with neon green bottoms.

Ok, maybe Black Ops was taking it a bit far. But, I didn't want to risk being recognized before I wanted to be.

I straightened my hat and crept low towards the brightly lit house.

`-,0`

Prim's POV-

The dress was light against my skin as Annie pulled the lever into park and we all slid out. Rue was chatting amiably as we made our way towards the house. A large, let me rephrase that, a massive boy was leaning against the porch.

He grinned as Rue broke away from our group and bounded towards him. He swept her up in a hug and planted a kiss on her forehead. She smiled so hugely that I felt a flash of jealousy at their affection.

Rue walked back towards us holding hands with the huge boy. She was simply beaming. At that moment Finnick came out and greeted Annie. She stood on tip toes to kiss his lips. He smiled and swept her into a hug.

_Is it wrong to feel jealous that other people are so happy? What's that out there, is that a dog?_

I decided to ignore that and focus on not being a fifth wheel. I followed the others into the house and I was almost shocked at the amount of people. I stuck close to Rue, Thresh, Finnick, and Annie.

After about 20 minutes of fighting through the crowds, we finally made it into the living room. There was music blaring from a speaker on the fireplace. People danced like professionals. Finnick swept Annie up and they spun to the music. Rue and Thresh began to dance too.

Soon however, I couldn't see them through the crowd of people. I began to feel slightly claustrophobic and a bit panicky. I felt my throat constrict and I began to struggle to breathe in fresh air.

I made my way outside to the porch. There were only a couple people who also looked like they needed fresh air. I nodded at them and leaned against the railing. Before I knew it, a hand landed on the railing next to me and a boy followed. Peeta.

At first I was fine but then I noticed how red his eyes were, how ruffled his hair look, how wobbly he was.

"Prum." He hissed, eyes wild.

"Prim." I corrected.

"Kartnuss' sistur." He slurred. He wobbled a second before catching himself. I caught a gust of alcohol.

"Peeta you're drunk." I grumbled, inching back.

"Yesh? Mayb."

"You shouldn't be here."

"Allrgh't. Il leab." He reached in his pocket and pulled out his keys.

"NO!" I snatched the keys from his outstretched hand and jerked them back. He frowned.

"Heyy."

"Peeta, I'm not letting you drive home, you're quite drunk."

He frowned even more before at least something reached his rational thoughts. "Ok." He seemed a little calmer but his eyes were still dull.

"Where do you live?" I had driven my mother's car a couple times in our yard but I had no idea how to drive. I figured I could get someone sober to drive him safely home though.

He gestured widely down one way. "Eh, end of shu roaad."

I made a fast decision. Peeta clearly couldn't drive. He only lived right down the road though. A short 5 minute walk. He needed to safely get home. I sighed.

"I'll walk you home."

He struggled to think. "Alrgh't."

And so I took him by the arm and began to lead him back towards the front of the house. Someone ran into me and I glanced up to see. A dark figure was the only suspicious suspect. He was already pushing his way further through the crowd.

Peeta stumbled alongside me, muttering things under his breath.

I pushed my way outside and began walking towards Peeta's house. The fresh air seemed to help him out but only a bit.

By the time we made it safely to his house, Peeta was barely standing.

"Why did you do it?" I grumbled.

"Dew wha?"

"Why are you drunk?"

He closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm ahfraid Pim." He seemed nervous. "ah've nev hash a grifend bahfor."

"You've never had a girlfriend before?" I was surprised, he always seemed to know exactly what to say.

"Nah. Katniss ish ma firsh."

"Peeta, I think you're a great boyfriend, she's really happy with you. I've never seen her so happy. She talks about you all the time, she says how sweet, kind, caring, and compassionate you are. She just likes being with you. Don't ruin that for her. Please don't do that again."

"Yesh."

A comfortable silence settled over us and I turned. "I need to get back Peeta. I'll see you in school." As I turned back Peeta called out one last time.

"Thanks for the help Prim; I'm sure everything will work out with you and Cato."

I looked back at him, mouth agape. He winked and headed inside, not even wobbling.

I began to head back a small smile on my face.

`0.o`

Cato's POV-

I ducked out of the way to avoid hitting people. I wove through the crowd, catching snippets of conversation. I bumped into someone, almost giving myself away. I turned and bolted from that person. I turned back, about to gasp in shock when I saw who it was. Prim.

She looked absolutely beautiful in her lavender dress. I remembered it with a pang. It was the day we stopped being friends. I also felt anther flash of jealousy when I saw she was holding hands tightly with Mellark. I forced myself to turn away and keep moving.

_Why is she with Mellark. Holding hands? I thought he was dating Katniss? _

I pushed away those thoughts and forced my way through a doorway. I made it into the living room. And stopped dead. My heart began to hammer and I could feel blood rush to my ears. I felt people pushing past me but they became insignificant.

There, sitting smack dab in the middle of the couch, side by side, making out, were Glimmer and Marvel. Their eyes were closed and they seemed to ignore everyone around them. Not that anyone paid any attention to them. I could feel cold rage boiling.

I calmed myself down. I needed to think rationally. Marvel was thinner than me but he almost matched my height. I knew he was quick so I had to use surprise. I covered the ground in two strides and shot my right hand forward. I grabbed Marvel by the collar and yanked him up. The smaller boy dangled for a moment before fighting for footing. I drew my left hand back while he tried to stand and punched him. Right in the face. I struck his cheek and felt satisfied to see a bright mark already forming.

Marvel blinked in surprise for a moment before he processed he was being attacked. I had already hit him again right in the stomach before he could say anything.

"Oof." The wind was knocked out of him and he doubled over. I brought my fist down on his back, watching him come crashing to the floor. Glimmer began to shriek and everyone cleared out a tight circle for us. I leapt on Marvel, trying to roll him over to hit his face.

He groaned but rolled sharply to the side. I was thrown off balance and he used that to slither out of my grip. He punched me twice, once in the arm and once in the nose. Hard enough to bleed. I lunged forward and tackled him. He grunted as his head struck the edge of the couch. I managed to roll him over and I started to hit his face.

"How…dare…you…steal…MY…girlfriend." I hissed between punches. Glimmer suddenly grasped my arm, though I could've easily pulled away, I let her stop me.

"Cato." She snapped, "What are you doing?"

I whirled around to face her, eyes blazing. "What am I doing? Glimmer. I'm sick of your attitude. I come in here and my suspicions are confirmed. Glimmer, we are over."

"Are you breaking up with me?" she shrieked, "What?"

"We. Are. Over." I hissed and stood up. "Good day."

With that, I stormed away, leaving an injured Marvel and a shocked Glimmer. I felt only grim satisfaction. When I got outside I could see one person out there, one person watching me with a curious gaze. Prim.

**Oh ho ho, was that boring? Ha this was a fun chapter to write, even though it took me like a week. I hope you all love it. Ok, in case you were wondering, Peeta wasn't drunk, he was just worried about what Katniss thought of him and he was afraid to ask Prim so he needed her alone. He's not supposed to be bad or anything. Well, Cato and Glimmer and done! Woo hoo! What's in store for Prato now? **

**NOT SO IMPORTANT BUT I'M STILL ANNOYED: Ok, this has absolutely nothing to do with the story, so if you just want to read you can skip this. But, if you're like me you plan on skipping this but actually end up reading until the end. So, I'll try and make this brief. Has anyone ever read Delirium? I absolutely loved that book; it was basically the only book that I have ever wanted to cry about at the end. I would recommend it to anyone who likes love stories. I was so upset at the end. Then the second book came out and I absolutely hated it! It was terrible and SPOILER ALERT: If she picks Jules or whatever his name is in the third book I'm going to be so upset, because the relationship she and Alex had was so adorable and that's what's been bugging me. Alex forever! END SPOILER. Grr, I read the book like 7 months ago and it still bothers me. Does it bug ANYONE else? Ok, enough of my ranting.**

**And I have a contest! The winner gets umm…a virtual hug ok? Here it goes, you only have to guess what movie this quote came from…**

_"We all float down here."_

**If you like scary movies you'll know this one. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Ok, so after writers block, being grounded, and trying to motivate myself. Here is the next chapter. *Cheers* ok, so I've had a few reviews asking for Clove. So, she's going to play a part in this chapter. Not a major part, but she'll be there. Oh, and I have a few reviews to respond to. **

**Rebellion-of-the-mockingjay: **_**alright, here's your shout outs. Shout out to you for asking about shout-outs! =) **_

**Guest: **_**you are the first to guess the quote…dun…dun…dun. Its Stephen King's It! Congratulations! Woo hoo! **_

**Jessica-Wayland**_**: and you also guessed the quote. Nice work. And I really like that quote, it really helped. =)**_

**There you go. Enjoy those shout outs and I'll do more next chapter. Anyways, I'm thinking I might only have like 5 more to write. I dunno we'll have to see. Maybe I'll make a sequel? Oh well, R&R! Oh, and I promise Jackson does NOTHING to Prim. Nothing happens at all. **Glimmer's POV-

"Cato's not here." Marvel whispered as he pulled me from the dancing towards the couch. I felt a slight flicker of guilt at that but I pushed it back. Marvel was so much sweeter. Cato had his mood swings. He usually was angry, or at least close to becoming angry. His scowl was permanently etched in his face.

The only time I saw him happy was when he was with her. Maybe that's why I began to hate her. Because she could do what I always struggled to do. Without even knowing. But Cato was mine.

It started slowly at first. But as I began to see her, I could tell she liked him. A lot. I became jealous. I mean, who wouldn't. I went out with Cato because he was the most popular guy in our grade. To be with him was instant queen bee status. People wanted to be me.

Then I met Marvel. He was sweet and a romantic guy. But, he wasn't as popular. If I broke up with Cato, I would lose my status and people would see me as emotionally unstable. If he broke up with me, there must be something wrong with me.

And so, I became closer with Marvel. Now, at this party that Cato most certainly assured me he would NOT be going to, there he was. He didn't speak, just ripped Marvel away and began to attack. He beat up a helpless Marvel and I was forced to watch. I sort of liked that, the fact that both of those boys were fighting for me.

When Cato won, he didn't sweep me off my feet and tell me he was sorry. He broke up with me and left. In front of everyone. It hurt worse than watching Marvel get beat up. Marvel picked himself off the ground. He had a bloody nose and his eye was already turning purple. His lip was swelling too. He coughed and wiped a hand across his mouth, covering his wrist in blood.

"Glimmer." He whispered, reaching out towards me. I wrinkled my nose at the blood.

I realized something. I had to get Cato back. I had been foolish. I didn't know what I had until I lost it. First though, I had to take care of the one girl that currently stood in my way. Prim. I called Jackson over. I whispered something to him and he bounced away with a smirk. Now, I had to go find Cato. I stepped over Marvel in search for him.

Cato's POV-

She just stood there, mouth open slightly. I could see the way her eyebrows were knitted together that she was confused.

"Cato?" she whispered. I took a few steps towards her. She took one back. "Why are you dressed like that?" she wrinkled her nose slightly and I could see the corner of her lips raise the tiniest bit.

I forgot I was wearing my stealth outfit. I realized just how strange I must look. I took off my hat and ran a hand through my hair to make sure it stayed flat. I frowned, realizing just how much I wished I could take away those harsh words that were spoken. I had called her a liar and jealous. I was wrong.

"Prim, I-" I looked down for a moment, trying to form the words. Apologies were not my strong point. _Just say it Cato. _

"CATO." A different voice shrieked my name. I half turned as a sobbing Glimmer flung herself in my arms. She gripped her arms around my waist tightly and buried her head in my chest. Her small frame shook with huge sobs.

I cast a glance at Prim to see her good mood vanish instantly. Her smile dropped into a chilly thin line and her eyes dulled. She hung her head and made to walk away. I realized something. She probably didn't know I broke up with Glimmer.

"Prim wait." I called. She paused for a moment. A flicker of curiosity flirted across her face.

I pried Glimmer's arms off me and stepped away. "Glimmer." I growled. I crossed my arms.

Glimmer continued to sob. "Cato, I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you." I could see the tears streaming down her face. I felt a flicker of doubt for a moment. Prim was still bewildered. I closed off my emotions and let out a growl. "Glimmer. I trusted you. I already told you. We. Are. Over."

She fluttered her eyes seductively. "You don't want to leave me." She purred. "We're perfect for each other." I heard Prim make a disgusted noise in her throat.

Glimmer leaned forward, wrapping her arms around me. Her eyes were lidded and she slowly leaned towards my face. How easy would it be? To just lean in and kiss her? To pretend nothing ever happened.

I jerked back so quickly she stumbled slightly. I let out a hiss of irritation. "Glimmer stop it." I spoke as coldly as I could, which was pretty chilly. "You're being pretty pathetic right now. I don't like you anymore." I turned and began to walk away. A hand grabbed my arm.

I sighed, getting quite annoyed with this. I turned to see Glimmer. Her eyes were deadly serious as she took a deep breath. I heard Prim began to walk away.

"Cato." She began.

"This doesn't change a thing." I snapped.

"I know. But, I just wanted to say," Her eyes began to glisten with fresh tears, "I'm sorry." With that, she turned and began to walk dejectedly away.

Now it was my turn to act bewildered. "Girls." I hissed. I turned to where Prim had been standing. I saw her retreating form heading back towards the party. I saw Glimmer beginning to walk away towards the rows of cars. I realized I would have to choose.

I remembered last time I made the choice. Prim told me we could no longer be friends and I went back to Glimmer. That was after she attacked Prim in that store. I chose Glimmer. Now, I had to remake that choice. I closed my eyes for a moment.

_Glimmer has been your girlfriend for months now. You could give her a second chance._

_Prim trusts you. She isn't demanding and she would never do something like that. _

_The choice is yours. _

I opened my eyes with a small smile and headed towards my choice.

Prim's POV-

I tried to push away the sick feeling in my stomach as I watched Cato begin to fall for Glimmer's charm. I headed back towards the party, fighting away tears. I just wanted to find Annie and get out of there.

_I wonder what Cato was going to tell me? _

I swallowed and headed towards the living room where I last saw Rue and Thresh. I was suddenly stopped by an arm blocking the doorway. I saw Jackson leaning against the frame. I barely knew anything about him. He was a senior, and captain of the football team. He was actually pretty cute.

_Stop that Prim, just ignore him._

I was about to duck under him when he grabbed my arm. "Wait." His voice was deep and serious.

I turned to face him. "What?" it came out harsher than intended, sounding a bit edgy.

He leaned close. "I never noticed how cute you are. I love that dress. It's really flattering." His voice was low and charming. He gave a small smile and tilted his head slightly. He had a certain boyish cuteness. I blushed slightly.

"Thanks." I stuttered. "You look nice too." I hastily added.

He passed me a Pepsi. It was already opened and I realized how thirsty I was. "Thanks." I took several sips to quench my thirst. I held the drink at my side.

"Do you want to dance." He smiled sheepishly again, shoving his hands in his pocket.

The room spun slightly. I took another drink and nodded. "Sure."

We spun across the dance floor; the spinning was making me dizzy. Jackson twirled me again and leaned closer. His breath was warm as he put his lips close to my ear. "Why don't you sit down? You look like you're going to faint." I nodded, wincing as my head began to hurt.

He led me to a couch and leaned in close. "You're a good dancer."

"And you should be leaving." A cold voice cut in. Cato stood towering over the couch. I could see Jackson flinch but I was too dizzy to care. I could see the junior's eyes flicker to me. Confusion followed by anger registered on his face.

"What did you do?" his voice was deathly quiet.

"I just gave her a Pepsi." Jackson stood up. He had about an inch on Cato but Cato had more muscles. His arms were tensed. Cato played rugby while Jackson played football. I barely managed to process these thoughts. My head was swimming and blackness bit at the edge of my vision.

Cato's POV-

"I think you should go." Inside, I wanted to kill Jackson. I could see Prim, she had a look of wonder on her face and her head was lolling. Her eyes fluttered rapidly and she looked very unstable.

He crossed his arms. I knew he could bench more than me, but I was a better fighter, that was certain. We sized each other up.

"Why? Prim and I were having fun." He taunted. I narrowed my eyes and exhaled through my nose. I turned away as if to leave. I heard a snort of triumph from behind me.

_Three. Two. One. _I whirled around and socked him right in the jaw. He stumbled back a few steps but I was ready. I made a flying tackle, pinning the older guy to the ground. I rolled off and allowed him to get up. He backed away slightly.

"Dude, Glimmer told me to do it." He held up his hand and left.

I growled like an animal and reached towards Prim. She was bouncing up and down on the couch. "That was really cool." She said. And passed out.

"You're never going to a place like this again." I muttered. More had happened with her here, than any other night. I scooped her up. "Time to go home." I realized something. If I brought her home like this, she could get into so much trouble. I knew for a fact her parents would kill her.

I only knew of one place where she could safely sleep without getting in huge trouble. My house. The only problem was, I had no ride there. I dialed the one person I knew wouldn't be mad at me for beating two people up in one night.

"Cato." Clove answered on the first ring. I could hear the irritation in her voice and I knew she must've been sleeping.

"Hey, I'm stuck at Brock's house. I don't have a ride home."

"And you need me." My cousin's voice was heavy with sarcasm. She sounded very tired.

"Yeah."

"I'll be over in five." She hung up. I smirked. Clove was cool. She went to my school and she was my cousin. I could trust her with anything. She was like that. She minded her own business.

This is why she was outside at 1 in the morning, picking me up with her small car. I put Prim in the back, covering her with my jacket. She remained unconscious.

Clove was still in her pajamas. She looked at Prim. "Did you kidnap her?" she chuckled.

I felt my face heat up. "No. I don't know what Jackson gave her."

She chose not to speak for a while. I broke the silence. "I broke up with Glimmer."

"It's about time. If I had to hear one more whining complaint, I swear, I was going to kill her."

I cracked a smile.

"Hey." Clove suddenly was serious. "Do you really want to take her to your house? Why not my house? There are tons of extra rooms she could stay in. You can take Harry's old room."

The logic behind that option was adding up. "Yeah, that does sound good." Harry was my other cousin. He was in college at the moment. Clove's family had a mansion. I'm not even sure how many rooms there were. Prim would be fine.

I heard a ringing. I realized it was her phone. I hastily searched for the device. I pulled it out. Call from Rue it said. I groaned. I hit ignore and chose a text. I quickly typed one.

**Got a ride home, too tired to stay, sorry. **

**-Prim**

The ride was short. We were pulling into her house before I knew it. I gently carried Prim into one of the many guest bedrooms. I tucked her in. After careful thought; I kept my jacket on her. I quickly scribbled a note on a scrap of paper.

_**Down the hall to the left if you wake up before I do. Clothes in the drawer. **_

I retreated and headed towards Harry's room. That was right down the hall. I opened the door and sank gratefully on the bed.

**Alright, what do you think? Next chapter will be them talking about everything. Ok. So please R&r it makes my day. I really would LOVE 300 reviews. That's what? 14 more or something. Thanks so much for all the reviews, I read each and every one of them and they make my day. =) I'll try and update but I have a race on Monday and I have school in like four days. So, it might be a little while. I really hope you liked this chapter. It took me a while to make it perfect. I tried to make Glimmer slightly shallow but still you know, not totally. And I hope you liked Clove's appearance. She'll be in the next chapter too!**

**And finally, I'm going to change my username! The new name is...dun...dun...dun**

**~DuckShadow12517~ it's not really that different but, you know. Don't hate. =)**


	17. Chapter 17

** So, here's an update, sorry for being soooo LATE. Thanks for all your reviews and enjoy! **

** Ok, this might be a little longer author note; There's only like 5 chapters left. I'm thinking of writing a sequel for this story. I'm going to come up with a bunch of summaries and you, the reviewer, can (hopefully) take a poll. The summaries will be on my profile SOON and you can vote for whichever one you like best. If there's a tie, I'll write one story and then the next. **

** Wait. First here's some shout outs! Erm, **

** ChocolateMagicNingaBunniesXY : Haha, your review made me laugh XD. Here's your review and hopefully you won't have to stay up too late. =)**

** Anonymous: Haha, eye-candy, thanks ** ** =)**

** And Guest: LUCKY 300****TH**** REVIWER! WOO! YOU GET ALL CAPS, JUST FOR YOU! **

** Thanks to all my reviewers, you guys make me want to update more often! R&r!**

___Ever have the most wonderful thing happen to you and you subconsciously realize it's only a dream? Well, there I was, the world a blur, the room spinning, everything was disoriented; out of focus. _

_ Then, strong arms wrapped around me as my body swayed, barely holding myself up. There was yelling, a smooth –talking girl, and a suspicious boy. A soft material wrapped around my exposed shoulders, keeping me warm. _

_ The arms lifted me up, carrying me ever so gently, so caring. Soft blue eyes stared like liquid gold, making me sigh. Whoever it was made my pulse quicken, my heart hammer. _

_ I turned to stare at my rescuer. It was Cato. His eyes were darker than the originally thought soft blue. They held barely contained anger. I didn't understand it though, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was his warm arms wrapped around me. _

_ Subconsciously, I knew this was too good to be true. Cato Fisher being gentle? Caring? This had to be a dream. Yet a small part of me clung to the sweet scene, fake or not. I snuggled closer against him and closed my eyes. It seemed like seconds passed before darkness came crashing down. _

The first thing I woke up to was softness. The sheets were a million times softer than my bed. Wait, wasn't this my bed? As my vision cleared more, one more thing also grew stronger. My headache.

It hit like a cement truck. I let out a whimper as I pressed my head into the cloud pillow. I rubbed my temple and kept my eyes firmly closed. Once the pain faded a tad I risked reopening my eyes.

I was in a room, definitely not my own. I winced again as the pain began to creep back. The next thing I noticed was stiffness. My arms were ok, but the rest of my body ached. I peeled back the cloud covers and discovered the cause of my pain.

I was still in my dress, and while it was silky, sleeping in a dress is frowned upon. I groaned and rolled over…falling right on the floor. I hit the ground hard, rejolting my aching head.

I stifled a sob of pain and rolled onto my knees. I crouched, not daring to move for a few moments. I also realized that I was wearing something other than just my dress. A leather jacket. It smelled nice, like spearmint and old spice. A very familiar smell.

I remembered my dream. Was it a dream?

"Dang." I hissed. Was I in CATO'S house?"

I stood up, fighting the pain and hobbling towards the door. I paused on the doorknob. What happened last night?

As I began to turn the knob, the door suddenly flew open, hitting my side and sending me stumbling back. I let out another groan of pain and landed against the bed.

A girl stood in the door way. Her black hair was slightly splayed and her eyes looked tired. Her lips were turned in a slight scowl. She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at me. I realized I recognized the face.

"Clove?" my voice came out as a croak, sounding exhausted.

She merely shrugged. I saw she was carrying a tray in her arms. It contained a bottle of water and an Alka-Seltzer. I took it gratefully. As I was swallowing it, I couldn't help but grill the junior for answers.

"Where am I?"

Another shrug. "My house." As if it was obvious.

"Why?"

"Cato brought you here."

"Why?"

"We're cousins."

I choked on a mouthful of water, "Cousins? I didn't know that."

"My mother's brother is his father."

"Ah." That would explain the un-same name.

"Here" She tossed me a bundle of clothes. "There's a shower right down the hall. Kitchen's down the stairs and to the left. Your phone's on your nightstand."

"Thanks." The tablet was already helping, my heading was receding. I waited until Clove left, and then I snatched my phone. I immediately called Rue.

She answered on the second ring. "WHERE ARE YOU?" she practically shrieked

"I'm at Clove's house."

A long pause. "What happened?" she merely hissed. I sighed.

"I'm not really sure honestly."

"Well, you have one hour to get here. Your mom is coming to pick you up at 11 and I want to hear what happened first."

I snorted. "I'll try and get a ride. I don't know how hospitable Clove is though."

"GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE."

"I'll try."

"Be here at 10:30. Oh, and my mom thinks you're asleep in my room so you're going to have to sneak in."

"Great."

I hung up and headed towards the shower. It was 10:00, giving me a half an hour to figure out just how to get to Rue's. That could wait until I showered. And ate.

I immerged from the very fancy shower, squeaky clean and feeling a million times better. I combed my hair and looked at what Clove gave me. There were jeans, though she was older than me, she wasn't much taller, so they fit pretty well, and a gray t-shirt. I pulled it on. I also decided to wear the jacket because one, I was cold, and two, I'm pretty sure it was Cato's.

When I stepped into the hallway, I could see a very familiar face staring at the spot I stood in. Cato. I let out a shriek of surprise.

"What are you doing here?"

He seemed just as surprised to see me, but he quickly hid it. His face cleared of emotion. "This is my aunt's house."

I let out a groan when I realized he probably had more right to be here than I did. I checked my phone. 10:20. I had ten minutes to get to Rue's and I had no idea where Clove lived.

I rubbed the back of my head. The pain had receded with the shower but my memory was still cloudy. There was other pain there, pain from feeling betrayed. I blinked a few times. For some reason I felt a flash of worry. Did I consume any drugs last night?

"Wha-What happened." It came out softly, the t emphasized. I was almost afraid of the answer.

"You don't remember?" his eyebrows furrowed together for a moment. He took several steps forward, stopping about an arm's length from me. "What do you remember?"

I frowned. "I went to a party. Um, I was looking for Rue." Something clicked. "I helped Peeta home; he was worried about his relationship with Katniss." Cato let out a slight chuckle. "And I think I went back to the party."

"Well, I followed your advice." Cato rumbled. "I went to the party."

"I don't remember you there."

He chuckled, "I was going Black Ops. Anyways, I found Glimmer and Marvel together. I punched Marvel and broke up with Glimmer."

"I'm so sorry." I truly felt a flash of sympathy for this boy. Then I remembered the harsh words he spoke to me the last time we talked. I held back a surprise tear.

"I went outside and found you. I tried to apologize but Glimmer begged me to take her back. I refused but you walked away. Jackson gave you something to try and knock you out. I punched him too. You then passed out and I called Clove since I didn't have a car. She picked us up and took us to her house; you slept in one of her guest bedrooms. That's about it I guess."

I let out a snort. "You really punched two people yesterday?"

He cracked a smile. "Yeah, it was pretty sweet."

"Can you take me to Rue's?" I know, I just ruined a possibly Kodak moment there, but the clock was inching toward 10:25.

Cato smirked. "Yeah, I guess. I'll have to take one of Clove's cars though."

"Ok, why did that sound bad?"

"You'll see."

And see I did. There the two of us were, standing in front of a motorcycle. A dark blue one. I cast a glance at the junior.

"You know how to drive this?" I asked incredulously.

He smirked. "I'm a man of many talents." He fished around and tossed me a helmet. "Put this on."

I sat behind him, lightly clutching the seat. Cato snorted. "Prim, you're going to have to hold onto me or else you'll fall off."

I moved my hands to his shoulders.

"Waist."

I wrapped my arms around his waist. I could hear the smirk in his chuckle.

"Just promise me you won't kill us?"

He turned around so we were face to face, our noses inches apart. All trace of joking was gone. "I'd never hurt you."

I struggled to find my tongue as he turned back around. My stomach did flip flops, this time it wasn't from nerves. I held on tighter to him as he revved the engine to life.

We took off at a fast speed. I clutched even tighter around his waist. The wind whipped by us but the helmet and leather jacket kept me warm. Before I knew it, we were at Rue's. well, sort of. We actually were parked a few driveways away.

"How do you know where she lives?"

"I was at her older brother's graduation party."

"I don't remember that."

Cato didn't reply. He dismounted and helped me down. He lifted my helmet off and strapped it to the back of the seat.

He turned back to me. "Prim." He was serious once again. I felt my stomach drop. "We need to talk. I can't begin to tell you-" he was cut off by my phone's loud ringtone. I checked the I.D. it was my mom.

I shot him a desperate look. "Cato, this weekend was crazy. I need to sort out this huge mess."

"Once you sort it out can we talk? How about tonight?"

I thought about it. "I don't know, can I text you and let you know." I paused. "Can I have your number? I accidentally deleted it."

He nodded. "Yeah, how about I text you?"

"Thanks for everything Cato." I reached up and hugged him. He hesitated for a moment before hugging back. He got back on his motorcycle and drove away.

I could still feel the warmth of his arms around me, even as he became a black dot on the horizon. I looked at my phone. 10:49. I was so dead. I turned and sprinted around the side of Rue's house. I had to climb the trellis besides her window to get inside.

Climb. Breath. Climb. Breath. I told myself as I began to haul myself hand over hand up the vines. I avoided a lazily buzzing bee and opted for the clearest route. Before long, I managed to tap on the window weakly.

Two freaked out faces glared at me through the screen.

"Girl, where in the world have you been?"

** So, check out my profile for the poll and chose what you want! Also, please R&r!**

** Well, this might be lacking but the next chapter will be very revealing. Rue and Prim talk, Cato and Prim talk, Prim and Katniss talk. It's gonna be EPIC! **


	18. Chapter 18

** So a ton of reviews would really help. Ugh, sorry for the long wait and thanks for reviewing. Sigh. Anyways; to reply to reviews. **

** Shout-outs:**

** TheScaryLittleGhost: hmm virtual cookies sound quite tempting. =)**

** Jng1: Ha-ha no problem-o. Well, when a student leaves junior high, (depending on the school 7****th**** and 8****th**** graders. Like 12 to 13 year olds I think), they are in 9****th**** (freshman) and 10****th**** (sophomores) graders, lowerclassmen because they are the bottom two classes. Upperclassmen are 11****th**** (juniors) and 12****th**** (seniors) graders, who are like 16-18 years oldish I believe. I hope this helps!**

** Please R&r!**

** Prim's POV; **

After being pulled into the room via the window, I had to hastily explain to Rue and Annie why I was gone.

"Jackson gave me something to drink and I passed out. Cato punched him and took me to Clove's house. Did you know they're cousins? Anyways, I slept at her house. Alone." I glared at Rue's horrified expression. "Then I woke up with a killer headache and Cato drove me here."

I said all of this in one breath. I took a rasping intake and waited for their responses.

"…" Annie just gaped.

"Wow." Rue growled. I cringed and waited for the taunts. "I just want to smash Jackson's face in right now." She narrowed her eyes and I realized just how much I appreciated her. She would fight the world for me.

Annie smiled. "Hey, Cato broke up with the whiny brat Glimmer."

"I know, he told me."

"What else did he say?"

"Not much, we were riding a motorcycle and we couldn't talk."

"You're going to have to talk to him eventually." Rue cut in.

"I know." I wasn't anticipating our conversation. We were going to have to talk eventually. Today was Saturday. Before school hopefully.

"Anyways." Further conversation was cut off by the front door opening and my phone beeping.

_I'm here_

"My mom's here guys." I explained, hastily scrambling up. I shoved my dress in a bag and headed down the stairs. Rue caught my arm before I came into the view of my mom.

"Be careful Prim. I don't want you to get hurt." Her eyes bore seriously into mine and I felt a sudden surge of gratefulness for a friend like her.

"I will." I hugged her. "Thanks for covering for me." I turned my mom took me home.

"How was it?" my mom was saying, her gaze focused solely on the road.

"Fine."

"How have you been? I've been away at work so much I feel like I never get to spend any more time with you. We should have dinner together sometime. Just you and me." I could see her eyes misting slightly and felt a nag of guilt.

I had been so focused and my life and my problems that I had totally forgot about her. I had almost shut her completely out of my life. I made a mental note to hang out with her more often.

"Yeah totally." I managed. Another nagging question hung tauntingly in front of me. "Mom, what if I got a boyfriend?"

"Prim." My mother's voice came out sharply; she took a deep breath and then corrected herself. "Prim. You know that in order to become a doctor you're going to have total focus. A boyfriend would cloud your vision and it would ruin all we've worked for." She took another breath.

"I just think it would be better for both of us if you didn't get one right now. You're just a kid Prim. Go and live your life. A boyfriend will only hold you back."

_Wow. She got really defensive. _

It was true. At the mention of a boyfriend she got really sharp and defensive.

"Why?" it was a simple question really. I asked it with curiosity tinged with innocent.

"Because I said so." she whipped around and snapped at me. Her eyes narrowed and she turned back around. "Just focus on your future."

"Ok." I was shocked by the ferocity in her answer. I didn't want to hurt her and I didn't want to push the issue.

~0.o~

_Just do it. Stop being a coward. It's not that hard. Seven numbers. Stop being a coward. Why is this so hard? _

_ You know why. You're about to hear the voice of the girl who is special. She's really special. Right?_

_ Of course she is. She's smart and funny and naïve and I hate that she's mad at me right now. I just want her happy. _

"Do it." I finished my mental battle and dialed the number. It rang several times. I held my breath nervously. Why was I nervous? I shouldn't be nervous? I remembered our motorcycle ride.

She seemed so small and frail; like if I wasn't careful enough she would break. I was trying to tell her what I was thinking when we stopped. She was in a hurry though and I wasn't able to tell her anything.

I headed back to Clove's house and parked her motorcycle. And here I was, sitting on the guest bed and holding the phone.

I was just about to hang up if it went to voice mail when a soft feminine voice picked up. She sounded breathless like she had just finished running or something. I wondered where she was. I had waited a few hours before calling, hoping she was home.

"Hello."

"It's Cato." I could hear the hesitation in her voice and I was worried she might hang up.

"I know."

I let out a low chuckle. It was mostly from relief and partially from holding my breath in.

"Prim."

"Cato." The silence on the line suggested she was waiting for me to speak. I had been the one to call her after all.

"Can we talk?"

"Actually I'd prefer to do it in person."

"Yeah, sure, I'd actually prefer that too." It would be so much harder to speak to Prim face to face but it felt like we had to.

"What about Sunday afternoon?"

"At the park?"

"I'll pick you up."

"Alright."

"It's a deal." I hung up feeling as if a weight was removed…only to be replaced by another one, smaller but it was still there. The urge to speak to Prim was overwhelming.

~0.o~

"Man I'm tired, I think I'll go to bed early." The mocking voice of my cousin catching me in the act broke through my train of thoughts.

"Hey Clove." I really didn't think she'd figure out that I was leaving.

"It's only midnight. What are you doing?"

"I'm going for a walk." I was a good liar but this one was surprisingly hard to say.

"Sure. Sure, whatever floats your boat? You're going to talk to Prim right?" Her eyes lifted triumphantly.

"How'd you know?"

"Cato, I'm a girl." My cousin flipped her hair and shot me a smirk. "I'm way more observant than guys. She really likes you. And after last night, you really like her." Her gaze softened. "Go ahead, I promise I won't tell anyone. Just this once."

"Thanks Clove." My cousin just waved and sauntered upstairs. I shouldered my backpack full of supplies for getting Prim back. She was mad at me now, but hopefully I could change that.

~o.0~

Prim's POV:

_Plink._

"Whah?" I blinked my eyes sleepily as something loud woke me up.

_Plink._

"What's that?" I rolled up and stretched, the noise was coming from my window.

_Plink. _

I sighed and got up and padded to the window. I opened it up and peeked out…just to jerk my head back in. a pebble came flying straight at me. It barely missed my face and landed with a soft plop on the carpet.

"Sorry." A voice from the ground called up. I stifled a scream/giggle as I peeked out. Cato stood on the ground.

He was sitting in a chair with a guitar. "Do I have to scream or will you come down here to listen?" he said with a crooked smirk.

I debated my options. I could go back to bed, wait until Cato picked me up and talk it out or I could listen to whatever he had to say right now, however late it was. I sighed.

"Gimme a second." Things were about to get really cheesy.

**Alright, this is going to be reeeeeealllly cliché! Credit for anyone who can guess what happens next…it's not going to be hard =) haha, sorry for the late update and the next chapter will contain PRATO fluff! Pleaaase R&r guys, I really want reviews!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Ahh thanks for all the feedback. Hey since I took like forever on the last update, I decided to give you guys a little treat. =) plus they are FINALLY almost together and it's fun to write. So, since this is a nice update can we reach 20 reviews for this chapter? Please R&r!**

Prim's POV:

_Why am I doing this? What is he even doing here? Was our talk really that urgent? _That thought made me smile.

I held the edge of the door with my fingertips to gently ease it shut. The soft whoosh and click signified the close of the door. I jiggled it firmly and turned back around satisfied. I then turned and headed towards the figure perched on a stool.

As soon as I came into view Cato's face broke into another lazy smirk. "You took your time."

"I was sleeping."

"Want to start crying?"

"What?" I frowned slightly.

"You'll see." He said with a wink.

He strummed a few notes on the guitar. He finally got the right tune and hummed for a moment. Then, he began.

My talent in the world was my brain. I was smart, not trying to sound cocky, and I was good in school. I always did my homework and I got the sought after perfect grades. I had a 5.0 right now and I worked hard to maintain it. It was difficult but my mother wanted me so desperately to follow in her footsteps and become a doctor too.

Katniss was athletic. She had the perfect body, perfect height; tall enough to look threatening and small enough to dart in the smallest of gaps. She was a great runner and she was always first picked on the sport team.

Then there were our hidden talents as I liked to call them. I wrote poetry and stories. I actually wanted to be an author one day but my doctor career was in the way. I liked the way words flowed and my brain helped me think of higher level wording. It was like letting go; just let the words flow and the hands do the work.

Katniss could sing. She took after my father. I was young when he died. Almost too young to remember him. I only had a few memories about him; the most dominant memory was of him singing. His deep bass would make you just want to stop everything and listen. You just wanted to lose yourself in the tune.

Hearing Cato sing was like a flashback into my life. As soon as the words began spilling out of his mouth-

_It was stormy naturally. The wind was simply howling and the rain beat against our windows. I perked up though when I heard the sound of the door opening and heavy footsteps. I knew what that meant. _

_"Prim." His face softened every time I was around him. He had just gotten home from work and he looked tired. His calloused hands wiped a thin sheen of sweat from his brow and he tiredly sank into the couch. I climbed up in his lap. _

_"Daddy." I burrowed in his arm. "The storm is scary." _

_"Prim." He began again. He touched my chin gently and lifted my face up. "Rain is vital. Storms add beauty to the world. And you know what follows storms?"_

_"Wet ground?" I couldn't resist asking teasingly. _

_"Rainbows. You like rainbows." I did love them. I liked to look at them and imagine I was a great explorer, searching for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I never actually found one. _

_"Yes."_

_He kissed me on the forehead. "Well, if you want to see the rainbow, you have to put up with the storm."_

_I poked my head up to see the brilliant flashes of lightening. "Wow." _

_"Always remember that." He winked. _

_"I will dad." I whispered, "I will."_

I really didn't mean too. But just the memory of my father, seeing him again, hurt so badly. I remember his wisdom. I closed my eyes and burst into tears.

Cato seemed surprised but he quickly started his actual song;

"Come, stop your crying, it'd be all right  
>Just take my hand, hold it tight<br>I will protect you from all around you  
>I will be here, don't you cry<p>

For one so small, you seem so strong  
><span>My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm<span>  
><span>This bond between us can't be broken<span>  
><span>I will be here, don't you cry<span>

'Cause you'll be in my heart  
><span>Yes, you'll be in my heart<span>  
><span>From this day on, now and forever more<span>

You'll be in my heart  
><span>No matter what they say<span>  
><span>You'll be here in my heart always, always."<span>

Normally I'm not emotional. But it was just this simple gesture of kindness followed by this song sung in a voice so eerily similar to my father's that set me off.

Cato finished singing and got off his stool. He placed his guitar gently on the ground and approached me. He stopped about a foot from where I was crying and hesitated.

"Was it something I said?"

His voice was so full of childish innocence and concern that I suddenly burst out laughing, followed by another fresh wave of tears.

"Prim, I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Why did you come here?" I didn't ask this in anger or accusation. It was spoken softly, me still trying to stop my tears.

"Prim. I just wanted to say-"

"Wait." I cut in.

"You're killing me here, I came all the way here to say something and I'm not leaving without saying it."

"Oh don't worry; I'm going to let you talk. In fact, I really want to hear what you have to say. But I just need to get something off my chest."

"Fine." Cato looked worried.

"Since I've met you I've never been so frustrated. I've been drugged, I've passed out, I've cried, and I've haven't felt as hurt as when my father died. And, I've also come to realize that you are the most arrogant, snobbish, jerkish, rudest, most annoying boy I have ever met." I took a deep breath.

Cato looked devastated. His features dropped and he sighed in dejection. "I'm sorry."

"But I also realized that I like you. A lot." I almost couldn't believe I was saying this.

Cato's features started out as yet another lazy smirk but then grew into a grin. "I think I like you too."

"But…" I began again.

"Another but?"

"Last one, I promise." I gave him a small smile. "I don't know if I'm ready to start dating yet. Can we take things REALLY slow? Like, uber slow?"

"I can do that."

"Ok, you're turn."

"Well, I think you basically summed up everything nicely. I'm pretty jealous." He chuckled. "I just have one thing."

"Shoot."

"The Christmas Dance is in one week."

"So is winter break."

He dropped down on one knee and pulled something from behind his back. It was a delicate primrose. It was a vibrant purple with yellow in the middle.

"Primrose Everdeen, I can think of no one I'd rather go to the Christmas dance with. I'm begging you; will you please go with me?"

I simultaneously burst into tears and laughter. He was so cheesy! "Yes!" I said. Cato closed the distance between the two of us and pulled me into a huge hug.

"Good thing you said yes. I already bought a ticket." He smirked and pulled out one from his pocket.

"For someone who doesn't really care about school you're such a dork." I teased.

"I can't wait." With that, he was gone, leaving me with my thoughts, a ticket, and a purple primrose.

We hadn't even started dating and I felt like there had been more drama than a play. I guess my dad was right. I really did have to put up with a storm for this.

**Ahh, this chapter was soooo much fun to write! The song is Phil Collins, anytime I need a good love song I use him. #Favorite singer! Haha, check him out if you don't know who he is. He sings like all the Disney songs. He. Is. Awesome. =) **

**Anyways, I need your guy's help. **

**1.) I'm wondering if I should do the cliché kiss after the dance or**

**2.) A cliché kiss in the rain**

**3.) A totally original place (I have no idea what though)**

**I was planning for them to get together around the dance, I just didn't want to reveal that so I didn't mention the dance, I probably should've earlier though, my bad. Anyways, was this chapter worth 20 reviews? We'll see if I update. Haha, No. Seriously. **


	20. Chapter 20

**Umm, yeah, I'm really sorry guys. I've had no internet, then I went on a trip, then my internet when out again. It was really just a build up of all the bad things. **

**Alright, this story is nearing the end. I'm curious to know what you guys want in the next story. More FinnickxAnnie or RuexThresh? Some KatnissxPeeta maybe? Any characters you want to see? Gale? More Clove? Glimmer? I'm really curious. Send in suggestions via review/PM.  
><strong>

**R&r!  
><strong>

"Katniss." I peered up at my sister.

"Mmm?" My older sister glanced over briefly at me before her gaze flickered back to the road. I realized how little time I had spent with her too. I really missed her, but she had soccer to focus on and Peeta took up most of her free time.

I took a deep breath. I needed to ask her something. Something that might just help sway my choices in the future. "Are you going to the Christmas dance?"

My sister smiled at the road. "Yeah, Peeta already asked me to go."

"Really? How?" Maybe it was a bad idea to ask her this. Maybe I should just let it go. Forget about it. Pretend it never happened. But, this was Cato I was thinking about. I couldn't just forget about him.

Katniss chuckled. Her eyes brightened up. I couldn't help but feel jealous at her. She had a great career plan, she had a full college scholarship, a cool boyfriend, and she was popular. I wish I had it easier.

"Well, first off, he's really cheesy."

"Cheesy is nice." I pointed out, thinking of Cato. I missed seeing him already, even though we were currently driving to school. Where he attended.

"Ok. So he was dropping hints all of last week that he couldn't wait until the Christmas dance. Then, we went out on a date last Friday. We just went somewhere simple, you know, it was Caesar's Steakhouse. So, after that, we went for a walk in the park and then we went home.

I was a little disappointed, I thought he would ask me to the dance, since it's this Friday, but we kissed and he left. Well, apparently, he had something planned because the next morning there were these two rocks in front of my door with a note. It said 'Will you go to the Christmas dance with me? Bring your answer to school.' One of the rocks was huge. The other was about the size of a cracker. The huge one said 'no,' and the little one said 'yes.'"

I burst out laughing. "That's hilarious! I wish I had someone who would do that for me." I slapped a hand over my mouth. I almost had said, 'like Cato.'

Katniss smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, it was pretty sweet." Then she got a funny look. "Why did you ask?"

I felt my heart jolt. Should I tell her? I had too. "Well, what do you think mom would do if I went with a guy?"

My sister narrowed her eyes. "Who?"

"I don't know, I was just wondering what she would do."

"Well, first off, how good of friends are you with this guy?"

I was glad she was at least taking me seriously. "Pretty good friends."

"Do you like him?"

"Yes." I admitted sheepishly.

"Who is it?" My sister demanded. She took on her 'protective' big sister look.

I sighed. "How about I will tell you, if you tell me what mom would do."

"It's a deal." Katniss sighed. "I think she might let you go. As long as I'm there. And, you have no plan on actually dating the guy." she cast me a stern glare.

"Oh." I said. Maybe I wasn't going to date him. Maybe I could just go to the dance and we could still be friends. I sighed. But, I liked him, and he liked me.

"Alright, I told you my honest opinion, you have to tell me."

"Ok." I took a deep breath, unsure how Katniss would take it. "It's Cato."

"WHAT?" Katniss slammed on her brakes, almost running a stop sign. "Cato Fisher?"

"The one and only." I ducked my head shyly. After I stopped myself from almost smashing into the windshield of course.

"He's not a great kid, Prim."

"You don't know him." I growled. I probably was sounding harsh, but her total shock and negativity annoyed me. How could she judge him? She didn't know him.

"I do know he's been suspended like three times for fights."

"He doesn't do that anymore. Katniss, I've known him since the beginning of the year. I've gotten really close to him. And I know what's right and wrong."

"It's not you I would be worried about, Prim."

I flinched. "You wouldn't trust any guy who asked me out." I snapped back at her. "You're my sister."

"And it's my job to protect you." My sister snapped. "I'm not trying to be judgmental, but is Cato really the guy you want? I mean, you're funny and pretty and smart! What's Cato's GPA? I mean, yeah he's handsome, but he's dangerous. How many fights has he gotten into?"

"He's not who you think he is. I like him a lot." I snarled. Thankfully, we had stopped at the school. I got out and slammed the door. "Thanks for your support."

I maliciously twisted the knobs to my locker lock. Each spin bought another vicious turn. I was so focused on opening my locker, I didn't see the girl leaning on the locker next to me.

"Rough time?" I looked up to see Rue. Her eyes glittered with worry.

"How did you know?"

"You're attacking your locker."

I sighed. "I told, Katniss about Cato."

"She didn't like him."

I looked up at her again. "How did you know?"

"Well, I mean, you do seem really upset about something." My best friend pointed out. She crossed her arms. "What happened exactly?"

"I told her about Cato. She didn't like him. She yelled at me. I yelled at her."

"That bad huh?"

I nodded. You see, because Katniss is three and a half years older than me, we're actually pretty close. We rarely fight, so when we do, it has to be something bad. The last time we fought was...I actually couldn't remember.

Whenever Katniss and I fought, I would be worried and stressed for days until we resolved our conflict. I was going to have to make up with her before Friday. Or else the dance and anything else would be ruined.

I pressed my head against the locker. "I just wish I could make her see that Cato is perfectly fine. He's not a bad kid."

"We'll what about-" Rue stopped talking and her gaze slid to something behind me. "I'll talk to you later ok? Can I come over later?"

"Yeah, let's go to the library after school."

"See you." She hurried away. I frowned. Why had she been in such a hurry to leave.

~0o~

I strode down the halls. It might sound weird but I was actually glad to be back at school. For several reasons of course. One. I was curious to see if Glimmer was going to show up. She was really upset on Saturday and I wanted to see how she was doing. Before we dated we were really good friends and maybe now that we were over, we could resume that.

Two. I wanted to see Marvel's face after I beat him up. I hope it was still bruised. And Jackson's face too. I had a busy weekend.

Three. Prim. I was currently strolling towards her locker. I saw her talking to her friend, Rue I think, and made eye contact with her. Rue grinned and sprinted away. I snorted and approached Prim.

"Hey." I leaned against the locker next to her. "How's it going?"

Prim turned, her face in a scowl. It lifted when she saw me. "Fine." she murmured. "I just had long morning."

I smirked. "Do you need a ride after school today?"

The corners of her mouth turned up ever so slightly. "Nah, I'm going to the library with Rue."

"Fine. But can I steal you tomorrow then?"

She giggled. "Yeah, I guess."

"Great, we can talk about what we're doing for the dance." I ran a hand through my hair.

"Sound good." She closed her locker. "I have to get to class now."

"What a coincidence. I have math first period too. I'll escort you."

Prim smiled, but there wasn't a sparkle in her eyes. "Ok, that would be nice." Something was off with her. She seemed sad. Prim would tell me eventually if it was important, though.

"Right this way." Yes, she could tell me anything.

I hoped.

~0o~ After school:

"Ok, what's the prob?" Rue was in the high seats at the library, a french vanilla coffee in her hands. I settled on a simple hot coco.

"I told Katniss about Cato but she doesn't seem to like him."

"What did she saw was wrong with him?"

"She said he's not a good kid for me." I growled.

"Well, did you yell at her?"

"Yeah, we both did some yelling." I admitted a little embarrassed. Maybe I had overreacted.

"Well," Rue took a sip of her drink and made a face. "You obviously need to have a talk with her."

"That's what I tried to do!" I hissed in exasperation. "She just wouldn't listen."

"Maybe she'd listen to him." Rue pointed out. She poured some more sugar in her coffee.

"What do you mean?"

"What if he talked to her. She obviously trusts you, but she's suspicious about him. If he were there to answer every one of her questions, I bet she'd be a little bit happier and you wouldn't be fighting anymore."

Rue had a fair point. "But," I argued, "What if Cato doesn't want to talk to her? What if he says something and she hates him? What if it doesn't work?"

"It's worth a shot." My friend shrugged, "That's the best idea I have."

"Alright, I'll talk to them."

"There's something else we need to do." Rue took on a deathly serious look.

"What?" my curiosity was piqued.

"We," She said gravely, "are going shopping." her face broke out into a grin. "For dresses."

**Meh, this took FOREVER to write. Ugh, please drop a review! Yeah, this chapter might seem pointless but it was necessary. Trust me, you'll see. R&r!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Yeah, I don't even know how long its been. I am sorry. Well, the good news is, there is an update. The bad news, I believe there will only be about two more chapters left. Well, sorry for the long wait. Please read and review *stares at empty room* if you guys are still there. **

**Shout out to:_ THGHPforever14_for being reviewer number 400 Woo hoo! I never thought this story would ever get this many reviews. You guys are all amazing and I love you! Thank you!  
><strong>

**R&r!**

"So..." I trailed off awkwardly, unsure of what to say really. The harsh glaring girl across from me did little to ease the mood. I cleared my throat and tried to remember why I was here.

For Prim, of course. She had asked-no begged me to meet with her sister, to explain to her that I wasn't a bad guy. She knew I wasn't, but her sister needed some reassurance. It had seemed like a pretty simple idea before.

_"Please, Cato? Just for coffee or something." The young girl's innocent gaze had caused my heart to melt and I found myself unable to do anything BUT say yes. _

_ "I know you're a good guy. You know that." She smiled sheepishly, "But, uh, Katniss thinks you are a total jerk and I should totally stay away from me." Another nervous shrug. Her small hand was drowning in my own, and she traced nervous circles around my thumb. _

_ Her close proximity was making it hard to think clearly, and all I could comprehend was that saying yes would make her happy. _

_ "Of course." Her grin showed straight white teeth from 6__th__ through 8__th__ grade braces, and I smirked back. _

_ "Thank you!" The girl leaned forward and gave me a quick hug, the smell of roses and lilac floating off her like a sweet cloud. "I'll tell Katniss and tell you where to go!" She skipped away happily while I sat there wondering why I had just agreed to this. _

And so, less than one day later, there I was sitting in a coffee house, my hand cupped around a coffee (Plain black, anything less would seem less manly) sitting across from Katniss Everdeen.

I vaguely remember telling Prim that her sister was hot at the beginning of the year. I take that back. She was pretty, but in her own special way. She was tough, and had such a fierce scowl that it could easily scare most of the boys away.

I don't know how Mellark managed to sweet talk a girl like Katniss. Yes, she was a senior, but she wasn't a people person. She looked ticked off most of the time, and that alone was terrifying. I was afraid of her, because of her death glare she gave anyone that wasn't friends with her.

That was usually her friend Gale, which I honestly thought they'd end up dating. Whenever I saw her, she was with Gale. They didn't seem to talk much, but had a sort of unspoken language between the two of them.

Somehow, she ended up with Mellark. I didn't even know they were friends. I heard they got paired up for a project in one of their classes and they immediately hit it off. Oh well, Katniss was too...aloof for me. I liked friendly girls.

Also, Prim was way cuter than her sister. Prim had this sweet innocence about her, while Katniss had a hardened edge aurora, that suggested something had happened to her early on to make her that way.

Anyways, there we were, having a sort of awkward stare off. Her shooting daggers at me, me trying to appear as non-threatening and harmless as possible. It was pretty hard when you towered over pretty much the whole student body. Actually, I think I really was the tallest boy in school.

Katniss finally sighed and took a sip of her drink (Hot chocolate). "Prim begged me to come here. I thought it would be a bad idea." Short. Blunt. To the point. Not bad.

"Yeah, she did the same with me. She's very...persuasive." I gave her a half-grin. Katniss remained impassive.

"I don't like you." Shorter. Blunter. Even more to the point. Ouch. "When I look at you, I see an over confident, selfish, cocky, arrogant, jerk, who only wants to 'hook up' with my sister." Each word was like a cruel jab into my head.

The words were like arrows, each one driving its way into my heart. I winced. "Look," I began, trying to think of what could convince Katniss.

"Sorry I'm late." Another voice said smoothly, sliding into place next to Katniss. I looked up in surprise and saw Gale. Wow, I didn't know he and Katniss were still friends. I thought they had drifted apart when she started dating Mellark.

Katniss gave him a tight smile. I wondered why he was here. Gale looked pretty determined. I wondered if maybe he hadn't been invited.

Gale didn't order anything, just looked pointedly at Katniss. She looked away, eyebrows creasing into a frown. "I've missed you," He murmured to her. She shrugged, still not meeting his eyes.

Gale sighed and turned towards me. We did the guy thing, sizing each other up. Gale was tall, though not as tall as me. He wasn't nearly as muscled, but I knew he was fast. I've seen him. He also was on the football team; running back.

I might be able to take him. Satisfied, Gale finally began speaking. "Katniss didn't want to do this alone, so she asked Peeta. Unfortunately," Gale didn't look too upset, "He couldn't make it and asked me to fill in."

I raised one eyebrow, "I'm the mediator." I snorted at that. Gale had as much as a temper as Katniss, maybe more. Then again, my temper was the best either. Oh well.

"Katniss, Prim really likes Cato, but she feels like she can't be with him if you don't approve." Gale began, sounding like he was reciting off a sheet. "And Cato, Katniss just wants to make sure you don't plan of using Prim and then dumping her."

Gale looked satisfied, "Why don't you begin, Cato?" I decided to not give any attitude, to prove to Katniss I had changed, and also to get this over with as soon as possible.

"Yes, I know I have a reputation for being a player." I began, looking pointedly at Katniss. "But, it's different with Prim. She's different. She's so...sweet and innocent. And, I don't plan on ruining that anytime soon. I really like her."

Katniss looked at me solemnly for about a full minute. We were back to our awkward stare-off. Finally, when I was ready to break away, she sighed.

"You sound sincere, Cato. I want to believe you." Another sigh. "I'll give you one shot. You hurt Prim in anyway, and I will make you regret the day you were born, Snow." Katniss's voice had dropped to a low, dangerous whisper.

I gave her a smirk. "I won't mess up."

Gale clapped his hands together. "Alright, it's settled. Now, run along, Cato." he made a shooing motion at me. I resent that, but I wanted to leave, so I got up, took my coffee and began to walk away. I heard Gale behind me begin talking to Katniss in a hurried, urgent voice.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't about me.

~0o0~

"Prim?" My sister was peering around the corner of the bedroom door, a faint frown on her face. She looked a little flustered, like something was bothering her.

"You can come in." I called. I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling. My sister came in and closed the door. I rolled over to face her.

"Yeah?"

"I talked to Cato today." Her grave tone made me wonder what happened. She usually was really expressionless, so it was hard to gauge her emotions. I couldn't really tell right now.

"And?" I asked hopefully.

"He seems sincere." My sister began. Her frown was still on her face, and I wondered what was bothering her. I don't think it had to do with Cato, though. "But, I want you to know something."

"Yeah?"

"Prim, you are beautiful. You are special, but also innocent. You need to be careful with who you give your heart too. I can see it getting broken by someone who isn't careful with it. I trust you, and I know you trust Cato. If you believe that he would be good enough for you, I trust you." Katniss ran a hand through her hair, "If you trust him, I'll be willing to give him a shot."

The old Katniss returned, "But, if he ever hurts you, even the tiniest bit, I will tear him to pieces, bit by bit. I will make him suffer more than he could ever imagine." Katniss hopped off the edge of my bed and stood up.

"I just wanted to let you know." With that, she walked out of the room.

Wow, Katniss never spoke that much. Ever. Cato must have left a pretty big impression on her. She must have approved of him. Or maybe, she was trying to get used to the idea of me dating. It was hard to tell.

Anyhow, I was really glad for the show of support from my sister. Her approval meant the world to me, and I knew now that she was OK with me dating Cato.

Now, only one more day until the dance.

**Ahh, I missed Gale, so I thought he should make another appearance. He is one of my favorite characters. Also, thanks for your support guys. I love all of you, and while there isn't enough time to thank all of you, I do send out much thanks!**

**R&r!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Here you go. Last chapter of High School: The New Hunger Games. I'm kinda sad actually. Actually, I may or may not make an epilogue since I was going to make a sequal, but I honestly don't think I have the time for it. I really would love to, but right now, there is no room in my schedule for an entire new story. I apologize. But, please enjoy the final chapter of this story! **

**R&r!**

"Wow." For once, Cato was at a loss for words. I could see his mouth opening and closing for a second before snapping shut with an audible click. "You look…wow."

I smiled shyly and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my head. "Thanks." I wore a blue dress, since Rue insisted it had been her favorite one I tried on. "You look good too."

Cato wore a matching colored blue tie, and a traditional black suit. He looked good in it.

"I hope nothing happens while we're there." Cato frowned, looking a little upset.

I tilted my head. "What do you mean?"

"You're going to be the prettiest girl there. I don't want anyone to try and steal you." He said it so matter-of-factly, and sent a flurry of butterflies storming through my stomach.

I blushed a deep red, cursing my pale skin for a moment. Cato smirked at my reaction and grabbed my hand. "Let's go, m'lady. The dance will be starting shortly."

My mom was standing in the doorway, a slight frown of disapproval dusting her face. She wasn't exactly happy I was going with a senior, but Katniss talked to her. She would allow it.

I hoped it wouldn't create any problems in the future. My mom was fiercely protective, and obviously wanted me to stick to my goal of becoming a doctor. She believed boys were a distraction.

For now though, we were allowed to stay together. Not official, but hopefully we'd be exclusive. I know I wasn't planning on dating anyone else. That was also something for future discussion.

"Be safe. No alcohol. Treat her like a lady." My mom sent a stern look in Cato's direction. I was momentarily mortified.

"I would never do anything to hurt your daughter ma'am." Cato gave my mom a firm handshake and opened the door. I was eager to leave the house. Katniss was already gone, having left a few hours ago to go to her friend's house to get ready for tonight. Peeta would be picking her up at her friend's house.

When we stepped outside, the dark sky surprised me. It had been sunny when I was getting ready for the dance. The pregnant clouds promised a storm later. Thankfully the dance was inside.

The drive to the dance was comfortable. We chatted, sat in nice silence, and made a few jokes. All around a great atmosphere. I would be meeting Rue and Annie at the dance, since I was worried Cato would feel awkward at their house.

At the dance, both Rue and Annie looked just as gorgeous. Annie was holding hands with Finnick, laughing at something he said. Rue was leaning against some guy, whom I assumed was Thresh. He was cute and Rue would have to tell me more about him later.

"Prim!" Rue detached herself from the guy and ran over to give me a hug. "That's Thresh I was talking about." She whispered in my ear. "I really like him."

"You have to give me the details later." I whispered back.

Rue gave me a nod of agreement and then turned to Cato. "I expect clean dancing to go down tonight."

Cato looked surprise at her bold statement, but he nodded, faint smile on his face. "I wasn't planning any different."

"Good." Rue released me and started back towards her date, leaving us to follow.

I cast Cato an apologetic glance. "If you don't want to hang out with freshmen, I don't mind if you want to go hang out with your senior friends."

Cato shook his head, "Nope. I'm quite happy hanging out with my beautiful date."

I blushed for like the fiftieth time tonight already. I was going to have to get that under control.

"Let's go."

The first half of the dance was fantastic. Cato was a great dancer, and even though it was my first dance, I like to think I wasn't that bad either. He smelled wonderful, and I was having a great time. Then, there was a lull in the songs, and I was starting to get tired.

"I'll go get us something to drink." Cato leaned close into my ear so I could hear over the music. "You want to pick out a table to sit at?"

I grinned and nodded. We separated, going about our tasks. I found a good seat, away from the loud music where it would be very easy to hear each other. I waited for Cato. He seemed to be taking an extra long time though.

Cato's POV

I finished wiping off the bottles of water. I had picked them out of a cooler, but they were both covered in water on the outside. I took them to the bathroom to dry them off, so Prim's dress wouldn't get wet. She wouldn't be happy if that happened.

As I stepped out of the bathroom, Glimmer was right there in my face. Her tight black dress was a short as it was low cut. I was disgusted that I had dated her for so long.

"Glimmer." I stated curtly.

Glimmer's eyes welled up with tears. "I'm so sorry." She looked up at me with such sincerity. "I made the biggest mistake of my life."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "What do you want? This is your entire fault. You caused anything you've gotten."

Glimmer let out a little hiccup. "I know. And can you just hear me out?"

I shook my head. "You've ruined your chances with me. I don't want to hear anything you have to say." I started to leave, "Now if you excuse me, I have to go back to my date."

"Wait!" Glimmer grabbed fistfuls of my shirt, holding me back. "Please don't go yet."

I tried to pry her hands off, but she had an iron grip.

"I was stupid. I didn't realize how good I had it until I lost it. If I could rewind time, I would change everything." Glimmer was talking fast, words spilling out of her mouth like a river. "You were the best thing that's ever happened to me. I was never happier when I was with you. I should've never cheated on you. I regret that choice ever single day."

Tears threatened to spill over. "Please. Please take me back. Please."

I shook my head. "I can never take you back after what you did."

Glimmer nodded, looking sad, but resigned. "I just thought I should try. Can we still be friends?"

I stared at her, mouth agape and rage slowly coming in. "You cheated on me and now you think I can forgive you just like that?"

Glimmer stepped closer still, standing slightly on tip toes. "I made a mistake. You're supposed to know people make them, and then move on."

I leaned closer, not wanting to make a scene. "Look," I spoke in a hushed, furious whisper. "You messed up. We are no longer friends or dating or anything. Leave me alone, and stop being pathetic. Be happy with Marvel. Go and enjoy your life. Just keep me out of it. You're the one who needs to move on."

As soon as I finished, I heard another voice, this one neither mad nor desperate. It sounded…sad.

"Cato?" and there she was. Prim. Watching Glimmer and I with sad, shocked eyes. I realized how bad this might look.

Prim's POV

I should've known better. There he was, pressed up against Glimmer, their faces very close. Only a few feet apart. Looking at each other with such intensity. I should've known. He was still in love with her.

Cato looked extremely shocked, followed by horror. At least he felt guilty about doing it.

I turned around quickly so he wouldn't see my tears and walked away quickly. I needed air desperately.

Outside, it wasn't too cold, but I had forgotten my jacket inside. I wasn't going back for it now though. It was raining. A light misting that threatened to downpour.

I pulled out my phone, ready to call my mom and admit she was right. And for her to come pick me up.

The tears wanted to fall, but I refused them. I wasn't going to cry over Cato. No, he wasn't worth my tears.

"Prim, let me explain." It was like a really cheesy movie as soon as Cato appeared, the rain picked up a bit. If it continued, we both would be soaked in a matter of minutes.

"No, it's okay." I was surprised at how steady my voice was. "I understand. Glimmer was your girlfriend first, and you still had feelings for her. I don't care. You two can get back together."

"No, Prim I-"

I shook my head, "No, you two dated for a long time. I don't want to get in the way. I'll stay out of the way."

Cato gave me a frustrated look, and then sighed. "Prim. You aren't listening to me. That's not what it looked like."

"Then what was it? To me, it looked like you two were getting pretty cozy!" I reigned in my anger and tried again. "It's okay, you can go back with her, I won't be angry, yeah I'm going to be very hurt, but you and Glimmer were together first and-"

This time it was Cato who cut me off. With a kiss. He just simply grabbed me and pulled me close. Oh. My. Goodness.

The kiss was perfect, fireworks, an explosion of flurry in my stomach. His mouth was warm against mine, clearly dominant, with an edge to it. He knew what he was doing. And he did it well.

The sky had opened up even more, pouring rain on us both. It intensified the kiss, cold water mixing in with the heat. I barely felt the rain; the kiss was keeping me plenty warm.

I'm not sure how long it lasted; time seemed to slow down, until I pulled away first, needing air. Cato grinned at my lack of breath, while he seemed completely, irritatingly unflustered.

I couldn't hold my stern look for long and soon I was blushing, shy smile playing on my lips.

Cato's grin turned into a smirk, confidence splayed across his face. "That was a good one. I'm surprised because you're only a freshman."

I narrowed my eyes playfully. "What? You really think that was my first kiss?"

Cato shook his head. "No. But it was the best one. You know that."

I was a little shy about talking about what just happened, but Cato seemed perfectly at ease with it, openly talking about our kiss.

"Should we get back inside?" I asked as I couldn't help but shiver now that I realized how cold it was.

Cato looked at me, gaze full of glee. "Why? Is there something better in there?" he voice was laced with mischief.

I smiled also and shook my head, stretching up on my tip toes so I could better reach his lips. "No." I whispered, pressing my lips to his for a second time.

And the second kiss might have been a tad better than the first.

**Oh Prim haha. Well, I usually don't really write kisses, but this one just needed a more detailed one! **

**Thank you all you guys who have stuck with my story until the end. If you're new to this story, thank you also! Without reviews, I would have given up on this story a looong time ago! I hope you liked this Prato story, as they are, and always will be my favorite HG couple! **

**Peace, Love, and Duckshadow :) **


	23. Chapter 23

**I hinted about an Epilogue, so here you go! It's super short and kind of stupid, but it wraps up some loose ends. Thank you for all your support, and please shoot me a review with your opinion of the story! R&r!**

Graduation Day:

"I can't believe today is the day." I leaned over to my mother, practically bursting with excitement. I also couldn't believe that in a few short months my sister would be leaving for college. The house would be quieter without her. That's for sure.

My mother's gaze flickered to me for the briefest of seconds before turning back to the ceremony. "I know. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself."

I was glad I was here, because not only was Katniss graduating, but also Cato was too. I really wanted to be there on his big day.

Cato. We had been dating ever since the dance and it was wonderful. We hung out almost every weekend, and I got to know a lot more about him.

I learned he sucked a cooking, singing and dancing, but he was actually a decent artist. I told him about my love of poetry, and eventually shyly showed him my work. He was stunned and told me it was amazing, which boosted my confidence.

Cato wanted to go to college for football actually. He had a full ride to UP, and in the acceptance letter they said he 'showed promise' and they expected 'big things from him.'

I was thrilled for him, and the college was only a few hours away. He promised to visit, but at the same time, I told him he needed to enjoy the college experience. I knew a few couples that were planning on breaking up to avoid the whole long distance thing, but as of right now, we were going to try and work through it.

Speaking of which, after the ceremony, I caught Cato's eye and he motioned me over. His blue eyes swept over me before pulling me into a hug. "Want to go get a coffee?" He asked, smelling like cologne.

I laughed. "You know I don't like coffee."

"Hot chocolate. Whatever." He smirked lazily, taking my hand. "I'll buy."

I grinned too. "Let me just tell my mother."

"I'll wait here."

I made my way back through the crowd, fighting to pinpoint my mom. I finally found her, looking out of place. "Hey, can I go hang out with Cato?"

My mom frowned for a second, looking hesitant, but she finally sighed and nodded. "Be home by 6."

I gave her a quick hug and began to push back towards Cato. While my mom wasn't thrilled at me dating a senior, she had grown to accept it. Cato had gradually won her over.

Katniss was the real stickler about us, but I sensed she was coming around, and it was only a matter of time. I think she was surprised we had lasted this long really.

Then again, she was still dating Peeta, and that was a surprise too. They were happy though, and their colleges were only a few hours apart also, and they were one of the couples who were going to work it out and stick together.

I was happy with that; I could see them getting married someday.

"You ready?" in my thoughts, I had finally reached Cato. He dangled the keys, making a jingling noise.

I giggled, making a swipe for them and missing. "Yeah. Let's go."

Hand in hand, we headed towards his car, ready to face the world. Yes, I was just a sophomore now, and he was graduated, but you know…who cares?

**I love you guys!**

**~DuckShadow~**


End file.
